C.R. Langille's Blog, page 13

Interview with Special Agent Doyle L. Johnson

I thought I’d shake things up a bit and do an interview from one of the characters in my book, Consequence: A Novel in the Dark Tyrant Series. After some thought, I figured the best choice would be Special Agent Johnson. He seems to be a fan favorite, and I figured his answers would be the best.
 
The Special Edition of the book can be purchased either through Amazon or Barnes & Noble through the following links:
 
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WjzsZr
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Vixjwc
 
CRL: I’d like to welcome Mr. Johnson, and I’d also like to say thanks for taking the time to do this interview, I know you must be a busy man.
 
Special Agent, please and thank you. I didn’t go through all that training through the Bureau of Investigation, Observation and Defense of Extraordinary, Extraterrestrial, Demonic and Paranormal Activity, not to mention all the follow-on specializations at Miskatonic University just to be called mister.
 
CRL: Excuse me, Special Agent Johnson, can you tell us a little about yourself?
 
Of course, although it’s probably going to bore your readers. I grew up with a normal childhood, run of the mill kind of life really. My father was an angel and I never knew my mother. I’ve heard nice things about her though. The Bureau raised me, forging me into this raw-steel stud muffin before you. So yeah, nothing too special I guess.
 
CRL: Sounds exciting and strange, not really normal at all. So you grew up under the Bureau’s care? What was that like?
 
I suppose it was like a boarding school of sorts, but instead of scary nun’s wielding weapons grade rulers, there were scary para-military instructors wielding weapons grade…well…weapons. The scariest (and prettiest if you ask me) was Professor Antoinette Huxby. She was in charge of teaching about Demonic Sorcery 101. At some point I suppose she had become possessed by an ancient Assyrian demon who liked to be called, Bubba. She was hot as hell, but had a temper that could warp titanium, know what I mean?
 
CRL: Actually, no I don’t. Did you have many friends growing up with the Bureau?
 
Not in the traditional sense. I tried to make friends with the other children in the program, but it was discouraged. Although, I did get everyone to go trick ‘r’ treating for Halloween one year. I dressed up as XXXXX(Reference was omitted at Special Agent Johnson’s request, citing it would be dangerous to mention his name too many times, and didn’t want to get his attention).
 
CRL: I’m not too familiar with XXXXX.
 
Think of a flaming booger with many sets of teeth. Amazing how many folks at the Bureau had dentures. I’m still banned from the cafeteria for that stunt. Totally worth it though, although I do miss Taco Tuesday.
 
CRL: Who wouldn’t? Anyway, what’s with the wardrobe choices? I mean, Crocs and a trench coat made of duct tape? Kind of stands out doesn’t it?
 
Are you serious? Don’t judge until you walk a mile. These are the most comfortable shoes I’ve ever worn. I keep trying to get the company that makes them to build a set that look and function like combat boots. They stopped responding to me after the 10th or 15th time though. Or maybe it was the special thank you package I sent to them. There isn’t an end-date on the no-contact order, so I’m not sure when I can start writing again. As for the coat, if you had one you’d understand. Duct tape can fix anything, sometimes even space and time if you know what you’re doing.
 
CRL: I’ll have to take your word for it. Any plans on retiring? It looks like you’ve been around the block or two.
 
You aren’t very subtle are you, could have just said I look old. Part of this sexy look is due to the mileage. If you had seen the things I have, you’d look just as bad, let me tell you. Plus, I heard people die when they retire, I’ve seen the movies. Two weeks to retirement is basically a death sentence. No sir, no way. I’m playing it safe.
 
CRL: Let’s make this interesting, if you could tell your writer anything about yourself that would turn the direction of the plot, what would it be?
 
Breaking the fourth wall eh, bold move. I’d have to tell him not to let me access the “secret” pocket of my coat. It could change everything!
 
CRL: What does that mean? What’s in there?
 
It’s CLASSIFIED.
 
CRL: I see, well thank you for taking the time to answer these questions. Any closing remarks?
 
Yeah, thanks a lot, this has been a hoot. I also want to give a public service announcement. Most accidents in the workplace are related to tripping hazards. If you find a potential hazard, use a Bureau Form 453 to document/report it through your chain of command. Also, don’t use necromancy, not even one time. It’s a gateway sorcery. The Bureau has some excellent informational pamphlets on the subject.
 

Getting Strong Now!

For most of my adult life, I’ve been overweight and out of shape. Every now and then I get a bug up my ass to do something about, and I do. It doesn’t last, want to know why? It’s because I’m generally getting in shape for a specific reason due to my chosen profession. In the Air Force, we are expected to maintain a certain standard and have to pass an annual physical fitness test which involves running for 1.5 miles, sit-ups, push-ups, and a measurement of your abdominal circumference. All of these items are tallied up and you have meet a certain minimum. My test happens to take place in October, and almost every year, I decide to take a break. Each year, I tell myself that I’ll only take a week or two off, but that week or two ends up stretching until February or March. During that off time, I typically destroy all the progress I made throughout the previous year and I have to start over from scratch.

Well, fuck that shit.

This year is going to be different. (I know, you’re probably rolling your eyes and saying, yeah right, and I don’t blame you.) This year I’m going to keep up the workout routine and there will be no time off. This year, I’m going to focus on strength training and general fitness throughout the winter months so that when February rolls around, I’m not a big ball of dough. Why? Because I can’t afford to keep doing what I’m doing. I’m getting older and it’s getting harder and harder to bounce back. I know I’m not that old, but a couple of years ago my metabolism decided to give me the finger and walk off.
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This is all fine and dandy, but it brings me to my next problem. I like to eat. I like tasty, tasty foods that taste good in my tummy. It’s a mental thing for sure, and I can do OKAY at eating healthy MOST of the time; however when I fall off the wagon, I fall into a big old pile of cheese, meat, and deep fried goodness. Because of all shenanery, my weight loss has been slow going. Over the past two months, I’ve lost about eight pounds (not too bad, but not where I need to be). So what amI going to do about it? I’m going to invest in a jumpstart program of protein powder and supplements and I’ve narrowed my choices down to two different things.
 
Now you might be rolling your eyes again and saying, what the hell Cody? Just put in the work and make it happen. Good talk, but I think there is something to be said about forking over some hard-earned cash for some product, and I know that I stick to the product program that I’ll lose weight. I’m not looking for a full-time thing, I’m looking for a springboard. The two programs are the Wilderness Athlete 28 Day Challenge, and the Mountain Ops Get in Elk Shape. 

Wilderness Athlete says, “The 28 Day Challenge is about providing people with solid nutrition,” said Mark Paulsen, the Founder of Wilderness Athlete and the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the University of New Mexico. “Exercising is extremely important when you want to lose weight but eating the proper diet is crucial for Muscle Management. Our 28 Day Challenge promotes a healthy diet by providing supplements and meal replacement products that offer sound nutrition. Combine these products with exercise and people can quickly lose weight.” It’s 200 dollars. Mountain Ops says, “Any weight you put on in the off-season will work against you once you step foot into your hunting unit. Most hunters want to lose weight, and some want to put on muscle or do both. The Elk Shape Combo is designed to aid in your nutritional needs.” It’s 215 dollars.

They are both pretty similar, so I’m wondering if any of you out there in Googlewebs land have tried any of these products or have any experience with them? Either one I choose, I’ll be doing a review and a progress report of how things are going. Mainly I’m looking to jumpstart the weight loss and get into a healthier style of living. I’ve been working out since January this year, but it’s been slow going. I need to get in shape and stay in shape not only for my job but for my own health and to be an example for my two girls. Train hard now so you don't suck when it matters. That's what I need to do.

Active Shooters: Make a Plan

I generally try and steer away from political hot topics, mainly because I don’t want to get bogged down in the muck and the mire of the moronic comments and such (because let’s face it, the Internet is chock full of stupidity which seems to quadruple when something goes viral). However, in the wake of the recent tragedy of the Orlando nightclub shooting, I think this post may be appropriate. I’m not writing this to point fingers, do he/she said this, or why didn’t they do such and such, this is merely education.

Mass shootings, murders, and general assholery is a major problem these days. I’m not going to get into the reasons why (because as I mentioned above, I don’t want to go down that road of ridiculousness). I want to give you some tools that you can use to help survive certain situations should they arise around you. In the Air Force, we’re trained to respond to active shooters with Run, Hide, Fight. I’ve seen a similar mantra tossed around in different circles, but they all seem to use the same concept.

First, if an active shooter is around you, run. Plain and simple Try and get as far away from the douchebag as fast as you can. Help others around you, but get away. Don’t get cornered in an office or another part of the building if you can help it. This isn’t the time to be a hero; it’s the time to save your skin and others if possible. Run. Run fast. Your life depends on it.

Second, if you can’t run, then hide. Barricade yourself in a room, lock the doors and be as quiet as possible. Do everything you can to separate yourself from the shooter or shooters. Be aware that bullets go through drywall and doors easily, so know the difference between cover vs. concealment. A shooter can spray a room from the outside and it can be deadly. Also, silence any electronic devices you may have on you. Nothing will ruin a hiding spot quicker than a phone ringing or vibrating. It’s a very distinct sound and can draw the shooter’s attention.

Finally, if all else fails, and there are no other options, you must fight. Find anything you can to use as a weapon and be as violent as possible when you attack. If you’re in the final part of this Run, Hide, Fight process, there are no other options, so you must give it your all. A pen can make an effective weapon or a fire extinguisher. Use numbers in your favor and attack en masse. You might be saying, well if I go to attack and expose myself, I might get hurt or killed. True. You might get killed. But if you do nothing, you might get killed anyway. As I said, fight is the last option. Below I’ve linked an interesting article on using a tactical pen. I've also linked a video that explains these steps in a little more depth.
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Everyone is different and reacts differently to high-stress, life-threatening situations. You never truly know how you will react until you find yourself in said situation. Reading a blog post on the subject isn’t going to be the end-all-be-all of surviving a bad situation. However, you can perhaps increase your odds if you think about it, make a mental game-plan, and train. Train for self-defense. Train for disarming attackers. I’m not a fan of using violence to solve problems; however, I do truly believe that sometimes violence is the only answer.

http://survival-mastery.com/skills/defence/how-to-use-a-tactical-pen.html

What Do We Fear?

What do we as a culture fear at any given time? I’ve been giving this a lot of thought and I keep coming back to the same conclusion: we fear the unknown. H.P. Lovecraft said, “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.” Think what you will of Lovecraft, but he had a profound effect on horror and literature, and his own fears of the unknown leaked into a lot of his stories.
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If we move throughout history, we can see the face of horror changing slightly, at least the exterior of horror. For example, let’s look at Bram Stoker’s Dracula and dig deep into the subtext of that story. Deep down, it was a fear of sexuality, alien outsiders (think race, not cosmic), and a fear of barbaric or degenerative ideals. Bottom line, the culture didn’t understand these things, and they were unknown to them, therefore, the fear of something different arose.
​Moving forward, we can look at the werewolf, Mr. Hyde, and even the Hulk. These characters represent a fear of losing control and letting “the beast” take over, or giving into our base desires. Loss of control is a constant fear with mankind and it was characterized by these creations, where, given a certain set of circumstances, the darker side of an individual was pulled into the light for all to see, always with dire consequences. But if you were to get down to the root of the situation, people didn’t know what would happen if they gave into those desires, and we’re right back to square one, fear of the unknown.
​Fast forward again and take a look at the zombie uprising which is probably one of the newer popular phenomena. Zombie epitomizes that loss of control, they also characterize a fear of pandemic or disease. They represent the breakdown of society and structure, but really the whole sub-genre of zombie apocalypse works because we just don’t know what would happen in a situation like that. Fear of the unknown. ​Fear of the unknown permeates almost everything horror related, it’s why alien movies work (cosmic this time), it’s why slashers work (where is the killer now?), it’s also why movies like Paranormal Activity work (what will happen next, why is such-and-such happening). Fear of the unknown simply gets reskinned to fit the topic du jour. What do you fear?

Get Home Bag

Sometimes the shit might hit the fan when you are away from home. Carrying a full-size bug-out bag may not be an option for whatever reason. That's why I carry a get-home bag in my vehicle. It has all the basics necessary for me to survive short-term, just long enough to get home. The picture above shows everything that's in there. I'll break it down even further and give a close up. I've got four of the five C's of Survival covered in this bag. The first C I'll show you is cutting. I have a multi-tool and a fixed-blade knife. Between those two, I should be able to tackle most situations. Also featured in this pic, is my flashlight, and some food. Here is the second C--cordage. I pack a small length of para-cord with me. Para-cord is great because there are smaller strands of cord inside which are easy to pull out, giving you something to make lashings if need be. I have a bit of water stored away, as well as some purification tablets. Not featured in the picture, is the third C which is my container. I have a water bottle which has a built-in filter. Between these three items, I should be able to stay hydrated while getting home. In the left hand corner is a first-aid kit so I can take care of any small wounds. Here's the fourth C--combustion. Between the lighter, matches and the magnesium match, I should be able to make a fire. I have a small notepad (featured in another picture) that I could use for fuel if need be. The only other C that I'm missing in this kit is cover. I noticed that fact when I pulled everything out to take pictures. I need to dig through my stuff and find my emergency heat-saving blanket and put that in bag. With one of those, I could make some quick cover if need be, or at the very least, conserve body heat. Here it is all packed up. Depending on where I'm going, I may or may not have a pistol packed away in the bag as well. It's not much, but it could be enough to save my life if I get caught up in the wrong situation. What's in your get-home bag?

Thunder, Thunder, Thunder, THUNDERCLAP!

Bottom line up front, I need your help. I started a Thunderclap campaign to help spread the word about the special edition release of my book, Consequence: A Novel in the Dark Tyrant Series. I know if you follow me on Facebook or Twitter you're probably tired of seeing images of the book or getting spammed with promotional updates. I get it, I really do. I don't like marketing or promoting, but unfortunately, if you want something to do well, you need to get the word out. Only a few more days until the book launches, then things will get back to normal. Until then, it's promotion time. I decided to go with a Thunderclap campaign, which, if I can get the right amount of supporters who click on the link below and say they'll join me, then on June 10th, a message about the book and how to get it will get blasted from everyone's social media and the stars will align! Hence, the Thunderclap. It doesn't cost you anything other than a few moments of your time, and you would be helping me out. So please, help an author out and click on the link below to support the mighty Thunderclap campaign!

​http://thunder.me/2guBsJ

The book is a dark urban fantasy with some Lovecraftian undertones. It's about Tobias Evard Warner II who is out hunting with friends in the Utah wilderness when the demonic apocalypse occurs. The event awakens all sorts of evils as well as latent magical energy in the protagonist. Tobias will have to survive nightmares both living and dead to make it back home to his family. Consequence is a fast-paced novel where angels, demons, ancient cosmic beings and even a dimensional traveler clad in a trench coat of duct tape collide. I like to think of the book as if Stephen King, Jim Butcher and H.P. Lovecraft had some sort of psycho baby.

The Darkness

The Darkness. Where to begin? I guess with the facts, just the facts. (Some minor spoilers ahead) It’s directed by Greg McLean (known for Wolf Creek and Wolf Creek 2) and stars Kevin Bacon and Radha Mitchell. The Darkness is set in present day revolving around a family who comes back from vacation from the Grand Canyon and brings back more than they expected. Their autistic son unwittingly unleashes an ancient evil when he takes some sacred stones from an altar he found while exploring (alone I might add, way to go family). Sounds awesome, right?
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It had a great premise, but it falls apart in its execution. First off, the story is kind of disjointed. Apparently, the kid awakens these ancient spirits that the Anasazi kept at bay. These spirits apparently brought out the darkness in people before stealing kids and taking them back to their plane of existence or something crazy like that. It was never clear on whether or not they were trying to get into our world, or if their main goal was actually kidnapping. Who knows? The parents, played by Bacon and Mitchell are able to easily Google tons of information about what’s going on but still can’t seem to deal with it. Speaking of which, I want to know what kind of super-search engine terms they used, because they were able to pull up a mega-load of info on those demons easily. There was a slight time jump from when they return from vacation to when the actual story picks up. This time, jump wasn’t portrayed very well, which, if it had been might have made up for some of the following grievances I had with the film.  As previously mentioned, these entities bring about the darkness in humans for some reason, which manifests with the family by having the sister turn bulimic (although from what I could tell, she had always been bulimic, so I’m not sure if the entities had any real hand in that); driving the mother back to drinking after getting on the wagon; and have the husband fight off urges of infidelity. Wait…I thought I they demons were supposed to bring out the darkness? IF that was the case, then shouldn’t have given in to those urges? I have a confused.

On top of it, the acting was phoned in…from a shitty connection…on a broken down payphone. Some of the scenes which were supposed to be serious were laughable. I’m pretty sure I wasn’t supposed to snicker when Kevin Bacon tells his wife that he was sorry he had an affair all those years ago. Or was I? Was this film a sleeper comedy? Because if so, brilliant!
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The movie also suffers from a thing I like to call, fucking with people for no reason. Do spirits in scary movies just get off on scaring folks? Because sometimes, if you take out the creepy factor, things that occur in scary movies just don’t make sense. For example, in this film, there is a reoccurring theme where the faucets keep turning on by themselves. I can see how that would be unnerving and scary, but what is exactly happening? Are the ancient Anasazi demons impressed with modern plumbing? Do they keep turning the faucets on in amazement that it’s so easy to get water? Or are they just really thirsty? I don’t get it. 
Now on to some of the good aspects. The story premise is great. I love the ancient evil being kept at bay and finally breaking loose. It’s an idea I use in my own writing and great trope that works well. The demons or entities also looked great. I’m a sucker for Old West and Native American mythos, so it was interesting to see a different take on the subject. The five entities portraying the Raven, Snake, Coyote, Bison, and Wolf had a creepy vibe and a dark aesthetic. I also really enjoyed the angle of the autistic son. It’s invigorating to see more and more stories involving people with mental or physical challenges and how they interact with the world. I thought it was somewhat original to include such a character in a story like this (I know it’s not the first time) and I thought the writers did a good job. I don’t have any experience in my own life with autism, so I don’t know how accurate they portrayed the character, but from an outsider’s perspective, it seemed legit.
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All said and done, this movie kind of reminded me of the movie, Poltergeist (the original one, not the shitty remake). The similarities are kind of shocking.

Overall: 2 out of 5 sacred stones.
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Consequence Special Edition Pre-Order

The special edition of the book, Consequence, published by Griffin Publishers will be out on June 10th. You can pre-order the book now. It features a brand new cover by Adam Miconi as well as a sneak preview of the second book, Canyon Shadows (release date 4th quarter 2016). 

Pre-order the book here:
Amazon: http://amzn.to/1WjzsZr
Barnes & Noble: http://bit.ly/1Vixjwc

Steel Magic Cover Reveal

I love helping out fellow authors, especially fellow Seton Hill University folk. Therefore, it's my pleasure to reveal the cover of J.L Gribble's newest novel, Steel Magic. Steel Magic is book two of the Steel Empires series (Urban Fantasy/Alternate History) and will release on July 6th, 2016. You can pre-order it by going to this link: http://amzn.to/1Rc17n2 

Synopsis:
Funerals are usually the end of the story, not the beginning.
Newly graduated warrior-mages Toria Connor and Kane Nalamas find themselves the last remaining mages in the city when a mage school teacher mysteriously falls ill and dies. But taking over the school themselves isn't in the cards. They're set to become professional mercenaries-if they make it through the next 18 months as journeymen first.
The debate over whether to hunt mutated monsters in the Wasteland or take posh bodyguard jobs is put on hold when a city elder hires them to solve the mystery of the disappearing mages. Toria and Kane's quest brings them to the British colonial city of New Angouleme, where their initial investigation reveals that the problem is even greater than they feared.
But when a friend is kidnapped, they'll have to travel to the other side of the globe to save her, save themselves, and save magic itself.

About the author:
By day, J. L. Gribble is a professional medical editor. By night, she does freelance fiction editing in all genres, along with reading, playing video games, and occasionally even writing. She is currently working on the Steel Empires series for Dog Star Books, the science-fiction/adventure imprint of Raw Dog Screaming Press. Previously, she was an editor for the Far Worlds anthology.
Gribble studied English at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. She received her Master’s degree in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where her debut novel Steel Victory was her thesis for the program.
She lives in Ellicott City, Maryland, with her husband and three vocal Siamese cats. Find her online (www.jlgribble.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/jlgribblewriter), and on Twitter and Instagram (@hannaedits).
​ About the cover artist:
Bradley Sharp was born in 1977 in Oxfordshire, UK. From a young age he filled many sketch books, so it only made sense to study Graphic Communication at Nene University, where he received a BA Honors degree in 1997.
But the real world called Sharp away from academics, so he traveled around the globe a couple of times, working as a graphic designer. Now he makes a living by designing magazine spreads, but freelances with vector illustrations, allowing him to create something far-removed from what he does in his nine-to-five job.
Sharp finds vector to be an easy tool and believes anyone can use it. "I'd say my artwork is nothing more than glorified doodling. I like the logical inconsistencies of surrealism and find inspiration from many places such as music or the science fiction genre. Dog Star's novels lend themselves well to my style. I look forward to working with DSB in the future, and hope fans will like the imagery as much as they enjoy the words." Find Sharp's work online at http://www.bradsharp.co.uk.

The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (PS4 Review)

I recently completed a small indie game on my PS4 by the name of The Vanishing of Ethan Carter. It released in 2014 and was dubbed a horror/adventure game. I took my time with it, exploring everything I could and I think it only took me about four or five hours to complete. It's an open world game; however, the world it places you in is fairly small. What I liked about it, was that it didn't hold your hand. You play a private detective name Paul Prospero and your goal is to find Ethan Carter. You start the game at the edge of town near some rail road tracks. There's no HUD, no prompts from the game, nothing. You simply have to explore and figure it out on your own. The game itself is fairly simple with only a couple of mechanics to wrap your head around. You'll investigate objects and areas and the game does a pretty good job at letting you know what you need to do in order to advance the plot without flat-out smacking you over the head with it. Okay, now into the spoilers...the twist at the end of the game caught me by surprise. Basically, you are one of Ethan's stories. Bam, it caught me off guard like the ending of Sixth Sense the first time I watched it. Turns out, none of that really happened. Seems like Ethan lived a troubled life and liked to write stories to escape reality. His family comes looking for him in an abandoned house he likes to hang out in, and accidentally starts a fire. He gets trapped in the basement and is dying of smoke inhalation. You were one of his stories and got trapped in his "world." All in all, I enjoyed this game and it's worth playing, even if you just read the ending here. There's a lot more than I can pack in to a small blog post. Check it out. I'd like to know your thoughts on the game if you've played it. Leave me your review in the comments section. Now, on to the spoilers...stop now if you haven't played the game. Or don't. You have free will. The story is very intriguing; the main arc has you tracking down Ethan by reliving memories or snapshots in time, an ability the protagonist seems to have. Apparently Ethan found a hidden room in an old house and accidentally woke up an ancient being known only as the Sleeper. The Sleeper's influence corrupts Ethan's family and they all try to kill him in order to keep the Sleeper from fully waking up. A side arc in the story revolves around Ethan's stories coming to life around you in a kind of Twilight Zone the Movie sort of way.

While the game is short, the story is worth it and the graphics are stunning. Overall, I'd give this game 3 1/2 spirit memories out of five. If you find it on sale or want to enjoy a visually fulfilling game, get it and play it.