Weston Ochse's Blog, page 9

Some Books I've Loved - The Catacombs, Experimental Film, and Mongrels

Periodically, I like to share some books I've loved. I constantly read in addition to writing and want to share what I think deserves greater attention. So if you feel like reading some good stuff, consider adding these to you list.

The Catacombs by Jeremy BatesThis was a truly solid read. While I've seen movies about the Paris Catacombs (An American Werewolf in Paris and the truly terrifying As Above, So Below), I've never read a novel set in the location. Bates layered a terrific narrative surrounding this locus making it a definite I'll never ever travel there.
    Experimental Film by Gemma FilesI've fallen in love with this niche subgenre I'm calling Found Footage Fiction. From Marisha Pessl's prodigious Night Film which my mother said was too claustrophobic to read, to Adam Neville's Last Days, this subgenre has in its nature the need to create two distinct narratives, that of the protagonist and that which he or she is following. Truly, a unique format. Gemma excels at adding to this cannon with Experimental Film, taking me to places so unexpected, I actually exclaimed aloud on several occasions.

Mongrels: A Novel by Stephen Graham JonesIf you wondered what a werewolf novel written by Cormac McCarthy might look like, then this is it. Not only is this road coming of age story fraught with the necessary bildungsroman angst one might expect with a young man growing up in a vulpine family, but the narrative style is so lyrical, I found myself reading it aloud. Seriously, when did you last read a werewolf novel. They are few and far between. As far as I'm concerned, this is the best among them.

First Paragraph of My New Novel 'Burning Sky'

A few days ago, I announced the signing of a contract for a new mass market paperback to be published by Solaris called Burning Sky. I sat down today and wrote the first 1111 words. I discovered that the main character, who is referred to by his team and others as Boy Scout, has an affinity for Cormac McCarthy, Herman Melville, and those books that pit man against nature.

I thought I might share the first paragraph with you. Sure, this is going to get a hundred edits and this might not be the first paragraph in the final version, but today, the first day writing this, it is the first paragraph and one that I'm proud to share.

The Depreciation of Gratitude

I've been bothered for some time about the depreciation of gratitude in America. My wife says I'm overthinking things, and she's probably right like she is most of the time, but words matter, dammit.
Words mean something. And some words if you use them too much, cease to have the impact or gravitas for which they were created.
"What am I talking about?" you ask.
"What are you driveling about, Mr. Ocheesy?" comes from the cheap seats.
It's the overuse of Thank you very much. And it's done so dramatically too, as if the speaker might think they're being recorded for Facebook Live or Youtube which might get watched by a Hollywood producer or director. Next thing he or she knows, they've gone from expressing extreme gratitude for the absolutely smallest amount of effort to appearing on a reality TV show and signing endorsement deals for lattes. Thank you so very much, he says breathlessly, careful that the 15 megapixel camera on his iPhone gets his good side.
Insert eye roll here.
"Is that it, Mr. Ocheesy? Is that what you're babbling about?"
Yes, thank you very much. (See, here it was used sarcastically, so it's fine)
Thank you very much. I see and hear it everywhere.
A barista hands a young girl her Trenta five shot half-caf pumpkin spice latte with no foam at 210-degrees, slightly bent, eyes imploring, seeking the connection and says, Thank you very much.... or worse.... thank you so very much.
Uggg!
Arrg!
Frazzle Fart!!
A woman on an airplane gets handed her too-heavy piece of carry-on luggage from the overhead storage and smiles wanly in her best Katherine Hepburn as she says, Thank you very much.
A man who has the door held open for him by a young lady holding a Trenta Iced Green Tea No Syrup Splash of Cold Soy Milk in one hand and bows saying, Thank you very much.
I've seen it all. I can't go a day without hearing thank you very much five or six times.
"Why is this an issue, Mr. Ocheesy?"
Here's why it's a big deal. What do you say to someone who pulls your child out of the way of a speeding truck? Thank you very much? Congratulations. You've just given the level of thanks equal to getting a cup of coffee. I know. It's not your fault. You're not the one walking around thanking everyone very much about every single thing ever done to them (or maybe you are).
What do you say when you discover that someone found your purse and returns it with all your money and cards inside?
What do you say when you discover that someone helped your grandma out when she became disoriented in Wal-Mart by calling you.
I'd normally say, Thank you very much, but because of the gross misuse of the words, in order to express the appropriate level of appreciation, I now have to add several qualifying words and end up saying, I want to say thank you very much, but what you did was so much more than holding a door open or getting down luggage or accepting the Fat-Free Iced Caramel Macchiato Upside Down Extra Caramel you ordered from the cross-eyed barista, so let me express instead my extreme thanks to you and much appreciation for your above and beyond the call of duty actions.
"But Mr. Ocheesy, why is it a bad thing that America is becoming more polite?"
The fact is that they aren't. America is as impolite as they've always been. Thank you very much is a smokescreen. People are just throwing the words out there without thought. I can see the blankness in their eyes, their false expressions. They're just being lazy. They're a hunter shooting squirrels with a 50 caliber sniper rifle. They're a long haul trucker hauling a single box. They are giving the maximum gratitude for minimal effort, thus depreciating the sentiment.
Let's do something together.
Let's take back our gratitude.
Let's use words like thanks and thank you and I appreciate it and much obliged. You can even deliver your appreciation in a more worldly style, using such terms as arigato and gracias. Even a delivery of many thanks is better than the now uber-common throw away appreciation, thank you very much.

Words mean something.
Get inventive.
Create new ways of expressing your gratitude, because only Elvis had permission to say thank you very much and he's dead.
Let's express the appropriate level of gratitude for the effort put forth, unless you're being sarcastic, then thank you very much is often the most appropriate sentiment. 
So, thank you so very much for reading this. 

New Book Contract - Burning Sky (Solaris)

Just signed a contract with Solaris Books for a novel called BURNING SKY. It's about an O.S.T. or Operational Support Team. OST is the movement security detail for VIPs within Afghanistan. Comprised of active duty military, civilians, and contractors, all veterans of military police, security services, special operations units, and other combat agencies, these men and women spend seasons in hell to, not only try and fix what’s broken in each of them, but also to make enough bank to change their futures. They are  stress junkies and the world is better for it. But seven months after their last mission, safely back on American soil, Land of the Big PX, they feel like they've left something undone... like maybe even they've left something or someone behind. And the feeling is driving them crazy. One by one they come together, and discover that they've all been having the same dream... a dream of a woman, a goat, and a sky that won't stop burning.

I orginally wrote this pitch in the fall of 2013. Several other houses looked at it and it wasn't until Solaris looked at it that it found a home. Thank you Solaris. I think I've made an impression there. The fine men and women who work at Solaris know I do a quality job and get the work in on time. From Grunt Life to Grunt Traitor to Grunt Hero, and then back to Blood Ocean and Empire of Salt. Although the latter two were with Abaddon Books, I'm working with the same editors, so this will make six books with them. Natch!

What's interesting about the pitch, is I never name any of the characters. Instead, I labeled them by their archetype (e.g. Boy Scout, Preacher's Daughter, Narco, etc). Now I get the fun of naming them.

The book is scheduled for release sometime between Fall 2017 and Summer 2018. It will be published in the UK in trade paperback and in the US in mass market paperback.

Las Vegas Here I Come -- STOKERCON Schedule

Been on the silent side with my blog for a while. A lot of it has to do with writing-- both good and bad. But I'm back, just in time to publish my schedule for the upcoming horror convention in Las Vegas -- STOKERCON!!!


Friday
10am - 11am  ~ Reading in Red Rock 5 (Wonder what I'm going to read.)

2pm – 3pm  ~ Panel: Research: Where to Begin and How to See it Through in Red Rock 3

3pm – 4pm  ~ Presentation: Book to Film: How to Write Movie-Ready Fiction in Laughlin 2

5pm - 6 pm ~ Signing: Midian Unmade Anthology in Dealers Rooom                                      

6pm - 9pm   Dinner with Agent

Saturday

11:30 am ~ Library of the Dead signing in Dealers Room

3:30 pm ~ Signing in Dealers Room

7:30 - 10:30~ Bram Stoker Award Dinner (Where I get my swag on. I might even wear a tux)

Sunday
9am – 10am ~ Panel Crossing Boundaries: Horror Genre Mash-Ups in Red Rock

Hope to see everyone there!

BREAKING NEWS -- Update on the Grunt Life Universe

Sorry Again about the April Fool's PrankThanks to everyone for their constant emails, IMs, Tweets, and smoke signals. I'm so glad you're enjoying Grunt Life and Grunt Traitor. I know you want more and I'm going to give it to you... in spades.
Firstly, sorry about that April Fools Joke. 
I've spent more time apologizing to people over this than anything else I've been doing the last week and I deserve it. I never pull these sorts of pranks, which is probably why people believed me. So let me say up front that no, Grunt Life is not being made into a movie by Paramount. And no Steve Buschemi is not going to reprise the role of Mr. Pink, and neither is Mark Wahlburg going to be Mason, Emily Blunt going to play Michelle, Eddie Redmayne going to play Thompson, nor is Freddie Prinz Jr going to play Olivares. And lastly, I am not quitting my job to be on set. (But that's not to say it might not happen in the future.)
Now back to reality. There's GOOD NEWS and BAD NEWS however. And since bad news doesn't get better with age, and instead sits in the corner growing mold, rotting, attracting insects, we'll get to that first.
I thought for sure that Grunt Hero was going to be out this spring, but I was informed by the publisher that it won't be out until next spring. This means Spring of 2017. Why is it being bumped a year? Well, it's not being bumped. Here's what happened. When I signed the contract for book two, it included a contract for book three or another Solaris novel if Grunt Traitor didn't do well. See, they still wanted to work with me regardless of the success of Grunt Traitor but wanted to see sales numbers first. Once they saw the sales numbers-- thanks totally in part to you --they Green-lit the third book, Grunt Hero. What I didn't know was that by the time they made Grunt Hero a go, their catalogue for 2016 was already full. So it's coming out in 2017.
I know.
I can hear you.
Wally, Thor and Sean... don't jump!
Michael, put away the sniper rifles. I love the publishers. They're good people. We can't shoot them.
Now for the GOOD NEWS!
Because you all have been loyal fans and love the series, I'm providing you with some Grunt Life fiction in the meantime.
First comes SHATNER RULES which is a 20,000 word novella set right after the occurrences of Grunt Traitor. That will be the cornerstone in Cohesion Press's SNAFU: FUTURE WARFARE. This one you'll have to pay for, but it will be totally worth it.
You all can thank Yvonne Navarro for the next idea. She said, why not write 2 - 3 stories and give them away to your fans?
I thought that was a terrific idea.
So here's the deal. As soon as I finish the Joe Ledger and Aliens stories I'm working on, I'm going to begin writing these stories. I'm going to make them totally free on Amazon for a period of 30 days, then they'll go to .99 cents. If you don't have Kindle and need them in another format, I can hook you up on a case by case basis.
BUT I NEED YOUR INPUT. 
You need to tell me what you want these stories to be. Do you want them about Mason pre-invasion? Do you want a story starring only Mr. Pink? If so, when do you want it set. Perhaps you want a totally new story set during the invasion but not with OMBRA? I can do all of that and more.This is your chance to tell me what story you want to read.
So if you want to give me input, do it in the comments section of this message and I'll start working on them, of course giving credit where it's deserved. I'll only respond if its in THE COMMENTS SECTION BELOW!!!
Again, sorry for the long wait until GRUNT HERO, but as the editor has said, 'I thought this was a very worthy conclusion to the trilogy,' and you are going to think so as well.
In the meantime, let's get us some free fiction.
And don't forget, to keep sales alive, you need to proselytize. Let all of your friends know how good these books are. You can even tell strangers.

FUBAR, One Star Amazon Reviews, and Deciding to Actually Review a Book

Rant Zone: So I was curious about FUBAR a few minutes ago. Realize, I don't troll Amazon Reviews generally, but the book sold about 3000 copies a few weeks ago in a surge, so I wanted to see if any of those folks who bought it reviewed it. When last I saw, there were ten reviews. Now there are 23. Seriously? Can't it get more reviews than 23? I can poll the local nursing home and get 13 reviews from them.
Then I started reading a few of the reviews. I know, what was I thinking?
But I did.
The single two star review that said it 'wasn't their cup of tea' was totally fair. As was the only three star review which said that the stories were a little far fetched. It does start out with a hum-dinger of a Lovecraft story, so if you weren't expecting it, then, yeah.
But the one star reviews are another thing all together. Investigating them, I see that one of those hadn't reviewed a single thing on Amazon and decided to break their review cherry on FUBAR with a one star review. What makes someone want to review? Is this the only thing they've ever bought on Amazon? Did they buy it then get an automated note from Amazon in their inbox urging the person to review? But then doesn't that happen every time? So why now? Why this one? Why me?

The other one star review was a single word review  (awful) by someone who votes all of Severed Press's books with Five Stars. Not sure what this means. Just noteworthy. Probably random. But again, why review? At least if you review, be constructive.
Then the third one star reads like this: "I was interested in true stories of battle and sacrifice. This book of short stories is fictional, morbid, depressing, and hopeless. I read four of them and to avoid depression had to stop. I can only hope that some the images in my head fade with time." Again, someone who probably doesn't read horror regularly. I don't mind this one. I struck a cord. Mission accomplished.
My big question, is where are the other 3000 reviews that should be there. Hell, even if 10% reviewed, that would be 300 (see, ma, I can do math). Have you reviewed it? Would you?
Now back to working on a secret Grunt Life novella to appear in the upcoming SNAFU: Future Warfare so Geoff Brown will stop sending Girl Scouts who follow me around and shout at me to finish my damn story. And my story (titled Shatner Rules) better be good too, because the fabled Mike Resnick is in this book with me. I was getting advice from him on AOL before I ever wrote my first story, so I owe that fella a lot. 

Yeah. Back to work. I need to score more one star reviews.

Use It and Lose It - My Fitness Goals for 2016

I have my Altra shoes. I have equipment. Hell, I have a whole home gym with a treadmill, an elliptical, weights, access to Daily Burn and DDP Yoga and god knows whatever online workouts that are available; so to not exercise would be lazy.

Plus, I have a lifestyle I want to live. I don't want to drink water, eat lettuce, and call it a day. I want to eat fancy and healthy. I enjoy my wine and occasional martini. I like to watch TV, see movies, and play video games.
Also, as a best selling author, I spend a lot of time on my ass writing, researching, and editing my work.
So I have to exercise, if nothing more than to keep the continental drift of my gut at bay.



[image error]   How many of you reading this have exercise equipment in a room, a closet or in your garage that you haven't touched. I'm actually laughing out loud as I type this because I used to be you too and ballooned up to 270 pounds. The ability to exercise was at my fingertips but I ignored it, just as I ignored long glances in the mirror that could have told me what I already knew. Plus, pictured don't lie.
Then came Afghanistan.
Then came a 60 pound weight loss. And this is me at 215 Pounds
This is me at 270 pounds


















And I'm back now.  Or mostly. I've gained ten of the sixty pounds that I'd lost back. That's ten pounds  in twenty six months, mostly the result of not exercising due to injuries. But now I'm hale and healthy. My legs and feet feel great. So it's time to kick it up a notch.

Goal 1: 9.5 minute mile. I ran a 15 minute mile in 2014. By the end of 2015 I'm at a 12 minute mile. I can do this.
Goal 2: Sirsisana-- headstand yoga pose. I want to do this.
Goal 3: Lose 20 pounds.
And how am I going to do it? The trick is to exercise every day. 
EVERY DAY!!!
"But I don't have time, Drill Sergeant Ochse."
No time, then TABATA! What is that? It's a four minute workout. Check it out here. 
"But I'm traveling and don't have anything with me," you cry pathetically.
[image error]
We'll just forget that pretty much every hotel that isn't Motel 6 has a workout room. If you're traveling, then TABATA. Or get your wifi cranking and go to Youtube and type in yoga or hotel room exercises. You'll be surprised at the shit ton of free workouts that all you have to do is follow. Now your laptop or tablet or phone is a piece of exercise equipment.
The trick is to do something. By doing something-- anything -- what it does is give a destination for your food. Instead of going to fat, it goes to repairing torn muscles and fibers or building new muscles and fibers. The trick is everything in moderation and switch it up.
"Wait! That's like three tricks you've mentioned," you snivel.
Yeah?  So? Thank you Captain Obvious, now stop quibbling and do what I said -- Use it and Lose it.
What are your goals for the year? How are you going to make sure it happens? Do you have a tracking mechanism? Do you have an online support group? I'm curious to know.

Please note that I am an Altra Running Affiliate. The shoes below are ones I own and use all the time. From the Instincts I use indoors on the treadmill, to the Lone Peaks I use for hiking and trail running, to the Olympus which I use for street running, I use all of these. I wouldn't be pimping them if I didn't. If your arches hurt and if shoes feel too tight for you, these shoes are the ones for you. >

Grunt Traitor Makes Nebula Reading List

Click to BuyThe Nebula Awards are awarded by the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America. First step is to get on the reading list and guess whose military sci fi PTSD novel made the cut? Yep. Grunt Traitor. Can you be both humbled and thrilled cause I'm both of those!!!
The reading list used to be a top secret (if I tell you I have to kill you) list. But 2015 marked the first year that the Nebula Reading List became open to the public.

Nebula Commissioner Terra LeMay says “Even before I became the Nebula Awards Commissioner, I’ve always thought the Suggested Reading List was one of the best resources I’ve ever encountered for finding the most exciting new science fiction and fantasy works each year. It is a great privilege to have helped bring this list out to the public where any reader may benefit from it.”

Here's the full article about the reading list going public. 
Nominating for the list ends on Monday, so if any of you SFWA members have read books that you think should be on it, I suggest you hasten to the list. I added several myself that I felt were deserving of recognition.
Here's a quick link to the full list.

Pan-seared Trout Fllet in Brown Butter Pecan Sauce - Recipe

EATING DANGEROUSLY

Pan-seared Trout Fillet in Brown Butter Pecan Sauce Author: Living DangerouslyDuration: 30 minutesAverage Cost: $12.00 USServes: 2- 4 I've always loved trout. I grew up fishing for trout in the Black Hills of South Dakota and the Smokey Mountains of southeastern Tennessee. I can remember as a child, going out with my grandfather and father on Pactola Lake, night fishing for trout, lanterns hung over the side and bugs swirling as we reeled ice cold rainbows up from the deep. I remember fishing Tellico River in Tennessee and catching so many trout on our secret spinner that we had to throw most back. Oh, trout fishing is something I hope I never stop doing.
But we're talking about eating trout, not catching it.
For most people, you'll get your trout from the store. And that's cool. I do too. Living in southern Arizona it's so hard to catch decent trout, so I often get it from my local fishmonger.
Growing up, the way my family cooked trout was to stuff them with lemon and dill, then wrap them up and bake them. Very aromatic this way, very tasty, but they can get mushy.
Recently I've been stuffing them with dill, garlic and lemon and grilling them on a flat cast iron pan on the grill. These turn out very crispy on the outside and done and firm on the inside.
When I eat out, I most often see trout as a fillet, but the fish is so delicate and I was always afraid of mauling it. Yeah, honesty time. In my 47 years of trout fishing, I've never filleted a trout. 
Well, this past Friday, I had left over green chili cheddar grits and some fresh asparagus, so I wanted to pair some fish with it... barring fish, sausage. In the seafood section of our local grocers I spied two beautiful trout-- about a pound each. Upon seeing them I was determined to fillet them... by hook or by crook I was going to do this.
So, I bit the bullet and learned how and it was amazingly easy. How'd I learn? The way I learn most things, I googled it and watched a video. This video to be specific.

Did you watch it? Did you see how easy it was? Amazing. Whoever this guy is who dropped the F-bomb, thank you! It took me about twenty minutes to fillet two trout. I took my time... really took my time. I imagine I can cut that time in half next time.
So what's the recipe?
Here it is and it's simple too and only takes five minutes.
INGREDIENTS
2 whole trout or 4 trout fillets (sans skin and bone) 4 tbs butterhalf cup pecans1 tbs dill1 tbs tarragon1 garlic clove (diced) salt to taste
Prepare fillets by dusting both sides with dill, tarragon, and salt. If you want more dill and tarragon, go ahead and add it. Much if it will fall into the butter sauce, but it will serve to flavor it too.
Heat large frying pan to high heat. Add garlic and butter. Once butter is melted, turn down to medium. Place two fillets in pan on the butter by laying the fillet away from you. This is a safety measure to ensure no hot butter splashes on you. Wait two minutes, then using a long spatula, carefully flip each fillet. (Note: that I don't put all the fillets in at once. You don't want to crowd the pan and muddy up the sauce.) Wait two more minutes, then the fillets are done. Repeat for the other fillets, but after the first minute, add the pecans.
After a full four minutes for the second two fillets, remove fillets and plate. Stir pan juices with butter and pecans for thirty seconds, then pour evenly over fillets. Your fillets should look something like this... and they'll taste magical.