tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-76532898957223625882024-03-05T18:16:54.056-05:00EpertaseThis is a blog about the fire department, writing, and my novels. Read. Enjoy. Comment. Be Happy.Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.comBlogger122125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-18254523911891196772022-09-06T10:54:00.006-04:002022-09-06T10:55:54.573-04:00Release day for A Wicked Line<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfegXBgLWlxBc0lS3rGdbxz3khhzgufCclY6aaLqwe7ESiUeMK6hfNlIUN9yjuJMJDK8MppI6fula3C0POANZnedMo_fMjdEzYYbVtLf7ouePlMHHYtW_c45a9YZ0c9i9Vz28cOMTrBk7Nr25ZciK3GP3cqwm55GyIwvGPbKPNIlPsk26wE3lFtUIaKg/s1800/AWL%20FB%20Ad%20JPG.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfegXBgLWlxBc0lS3rGdbxz3khhzgufCclY6aaLqwe7ESiUeMK6hfNlIUN9yjuJMJDK8MppI6fula3C0POANZnedMo_fMjdEzYYbVtLf7ouePlMHHYtW_c45a9YZ0c9i9Vz28cOMTrBk7Nr25ZciK3GP3cqwm55GyIwvGPbKPNIlPsk26wE3lFtUIaKg/s320/AWL%20FB%20Ad%20JPG.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <span style="color: white;">A Wicked Line out now!!!</span><p></p><p><span style="color: white;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><span style="color: white;"><u><span style="mso-themecolor: text1;">Fun facts about <i>A
Wicked Line</i>.</span></u><span style="mso-themecolor: text1;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: text1;">-The story takes place in
1994<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: text1;">-Every pop culture reference
in the book is accurate to that exact moment in time. If the TV show ER is on
in the background of the scene for instance, it is the exact episode and exact moment
in that episode that aired on that date and at that moment.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: text1;">-An early reviewer said,
"This author might be decent" and I'm taking that as a win.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: text1;">-I used my wife's
ex-boyfriend's name in the book just to get her reaction when she reads it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: text1;">-I used 1994 for the setting
because it's really one of the best years ever for pop culture. In movies we
had Forest Gump, Shawshank Redemption, and Pulp Fiction. Music brought us Green
Day, Soundgarden, and Nine Inch Nails. Craziness saw the OJ Simpson chase and Nirvana's
Kurt Cobain's suicide. ER debuted on TV and was joined by Friends and Seinfeld
to make the Must-See Thursday night TV lineup on NBC.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: text1;">-<i>A Wicked Line</i> is my
seventh book.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="color: white;"><i><span style="mso-themecolor: text1;">A Wicked Line</span></i><span style="mso-themecolor: text1;"> started with a concept that there is
a thin line between being a superhero and becoming a serial killer. Initially,
I expected to lean heavily into the superhero aspects, but as I began writing I
found the serial killer angle far more interesting for this story.</span><span><o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: text1;">-The audiobook has been read
by William McDonough who previously narrated my most popular book to date, <i>A
Firefighter Christmas Carol.</i><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p><span style="color: white;"><i><span style="mso-themecolor: text1;">-</span></i><span style="mso-themecolor: text1;">My research for this book had me
watching old episodes of <i>ER</i>, <i>Jerry Springer</i>, <i>Wheel of Fortune</i>,
and old NFL games just to name a few.<o:p></o:p></span></span></p>
<p><span style="color: white; mso-themecolor: text1;">-And finally, some fun. The
first person to email me at epertase@gmail.com with the correct answer to the
final Wheel of Fortune puzzle within <i>A Wicked Line</i> will win one
autographed book of their choosing from my seven-book catalogue.<o:p></o:p></span></p><br /><p></p>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-18303071477671690812021-10-16T16:23:00.001-04:002021-10-16T16:23:13.992-04:00A Firefighter Christmas Carol Out Now<p> A Firefighter Christmas Carol and Other Stories is out NOW!!! Get a copy today on audiobook, ebook, paperback or hardcover. The rave reviews keep coming in. Get it wherever you buy your books now.</p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Firefighter-Christmas-Carol-Other-Stories-ebook/dp/B08YRG87YR/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">A Firefighter Christmas Carol: And Other Stories - Kindle edition by Brown, Douglas R., Murphy, Steve, Brown, Rebecca. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.</a><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-firefighter-christmas-carol-and-other-stories-douglas-brown/1139682462?ean=9781736882030">A Firefighter Christmas Carol and Other Stories by Douglas R Brown, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble® (barnesandnoble.com)</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXT77qcm20qYv6CrW5PDFh6zuFTOGlEhmXw4jdbPp8-dKx7f7pVDR2A_MV6tGRhoOGM_Jj2okMeRRDsC2vApwJtIYBHmBkQ5JmnMtFFTV2LmicgA-9itYUA1EKfEEOKMWWf69LgbO_T31/s1800/Facebook+AD+Final.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1800" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlXT77qcm20qYv6CrW5PDFh6zuFTOGlEhmXw4jdbPp8-dKx7f7pVDR2A_MV6tGRhoOGM_Jj2okMeRRDsC2vApwJtIYBHmBkQ5JmnMtFFTV2LmicgA-9itYUA1EKfEEOKMWWf69LgbO_T31/s320/Facebook+AD+Final.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-85117771295877768922021-07-01T09:00:00.014-04:002021-07-01T09:00:00.219-04:00<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy6YD2bQCJOx9FwHNc1QBjdqq5qhWgZyrckianhFqRdplgyKvuruQlvQq9LiwFTVQzz-OZ_uOpF426dW4qdag' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div><br />Preorder now!!!<p></p><p><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08YRG87YR/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i5">Amazon.com: A Firefighter Christmas Carol: And Other Short Stories eBook: Brown, Douglas R., Murphy, Steve, Brown, Becca: Kindle Store</a></p>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-44142299702682172002021-06-18T08:42:00.003-04:002021-06-18T08:43:06.793-04:00Coming soon<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="319" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/RP0a7Y73Yjg" width="384" youtube-src-id="RP0a7Y73Yjg"></iframe></div><br /> <p></p>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-26833727420777202722021-01-08T15:41:00.008-05:002021-01-08T15:55:42.162-05:00<p> Cover reveal for my new dystopian fantasy novel, Death of the Grinderfish. Available for ebook preorder now.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Death-Grinderfish-Douglas-R-Brown-ebook/dp/B08S6Z53PY/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=grinderfish&qid=1609957540&s=books&sr=1-1" style="text-align: left;">Amazon.com: Death of the Grinderfish eBook: Brown, Douglas R., Murphy, Steve, Brown, Becca: Books</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2jrK7dppsGY7-QqLIWJX0utadaiT-QjAfoKAtLq3xig8hD71pbgTUu5L2Rb5QW8q_VqC99sGtBUzbl5EDrAC3YHBfHeD1XWaLf1hzAaaMgI0YXAwbpmzuHJARIvfq110z2OGcAChFP-8/s2048/Grinderfish+Cover+front+Final+RGB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1324" height="428" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc2jrK7dppsGY7-QqLIWJX0utadaiT-QjAfoKAtLq3xig8hD71pbgTUu5L2Rb5QW8q_VqC99sGtBUzbl5EDrAC3YHBfHeD1XWaLf1hzAaaMgI0YXAwbpmzuHJARIvfq110z2OGcAChFP-8/w277-h428/Grinderfish+Cover+front+Final+RGB.jpg" width="277" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9Xha110OrX6BkvmnRrewtiCtG4Qa7vDi3ezqyK3m5JmNqQRe0bwaHKUwa1G54W8MYHUIcYaAJ8_D6js_Lndla9-NNPo5g8oGRqLS7OJ2aaVsuTrWnqKjCp2eQoVs9FYR78DLrzSRbYr-/s2048/Grinderfish+Cover+Final+RGB.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1466" data-original-width="2048" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd9Xha110OrX6BkvmnRrewtiCtG4Qa7vDi3ezqyK3m5JmNqQRe0bwaHKUwa1G54W8MYHUIcYaAJ8_D6js_Lndla9-NNPo5g8oGRqLS7OJ2aaVsuTrWnqKjCp2eQoVs9FYR78DLrzSRbYr-/w334-h239/Grinderfish+Cover+Final+RGB.jpg" width="334" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-20292612704011420532020-09-17T09:29:00.000-04:002020-09-17T09:29:09.603-04:00<p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKk-4Gbop9yNntH2Q4Zy4z_Ay-6zc5d3CXxkpOGvW32CEoFUEhLpMcp0HNgJrxBPUjPiZCT9NmzXWS2YYc7f_-fbwzxj95RR7wdY-Mo0YytLKiYSgd5f4Hn3PH8E7G8Aiew-F-IxJei-6/s266/moving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoKk-4Gbop9yNntH2Q4Zy4z_Ay-6zc5d3CXxkpOGvW32CEoFUEhLpMcp0HNgJrxBPUjPiZCT9NmzXWS2YYc7f_-fbwzxj95RR7wdY-Mo0YytLKiYSgd5f4Hn3PH8E7G8Aiew-F-IxJei-6/s0/moving.jpg" /></a></div><br />Everything Epertase has moved. Go to <a href="http://epertasepublishing.com">epertasepublishing.com</a> for all the latest. I even gave you a link to make it easier. My new website is badass. CHECK. IT. OUT. See you over there. I'd love to get your feedback on the new site.<p></p>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-16824792536217257012020-09-04T08:00:00.003-04:002020-09-04T09:13:16.571-04:00Evolution of Legends Reborn<p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">When I started writing my first fantasy novel, I did so mostly for fun. I never expected to get a publishing deal and I never expected to be right where I started nearly a dozen years later. When I first wrote <i>The Light of Epertase</i>, I didn’t have a publisher, an editor, a cover artist, or really anyway to put the book out into the world. So, I decided to have a little fun with it. I took my book and used a print on demand company, I believe it was called Lulu, to make a hard cover of my story. I used my super limited photoshop knowledge to create this cover. Take a look.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2ZoQ4Z1RGuNI_LcTiOJMxyLjjFEzE1INYl6JQp2ura1szpaAi8MF4X_auugGWX3q7DgfnIEXxCzYRcxJjFL4f0zagIiE0TzizkLWfCeeJknko1ncBj6R4XpUhFCKb7-vPv3LE0Nj1sVL/s2048/45A3D50E-B9B7-4426-A4F8-321921E86CB6.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG2ZoQ4Z1RGuNI_LcTiOJMxyLjjFEzE1INYl6JQp2ura1szpaAi8MF4X_auugGWX3q7DgfnIEXxCzYRcxJjFL4f0zagIiE0TzizkLWfCeeJknko1ncBj6R4XpUhFCKb7-vPv3LE0Nj1sVL/s320/45A3D50E-B9B7-4426-A4F8-321921E86CB6.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: black;"><tbody><tr><td height="0" width="31"></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br clear="ALL" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><o:p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></o:p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Shortly after creating my hard cover, I was offered a 3-book publishing deal with Rhemalda Publishing. I was so excited when I received the first copy of my first ever published book. Here is that cover.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7F4gRtatjBmWt20pqcrz5CTgfz_-bzXiERFeeDabyK5K18LaG8qR_g4LRLuY4n-rJNQOAOjKDv1huZlHB4YNrVPrlXe9St5bC-Tm5nLWZzKbNaPZ3cnJlhvqysa_SJJ9FTvcyJfARfRTN/s2649/C129230B-4C57-489A-9F0F-F7C9897D1B05.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1187" data-original-width="2649" height="143" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7F4gRtatjBmWt20pqcrz5CTgfz_-bzXiERFeeDabyK5K18LaG8qR_g4LRLuY4n-rJNQOAOjKDv1huZlHB4YNrVPrlXe9St5bC-Tm5nLWZzKbNaPZ3cnJlhvqysa_SJJ9FTvcyJfARfRTN/w320-h143/C129230B-4C57-489A-9F0F-F7C9897D1B05.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: black;"><tbody><tr><td height="0" width="30"></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table><p><br clear="ALL" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><o:p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></o:p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">However, even with the hard work of my aunt (who is an editor), Rhemalda, and their editor, I was still quite new at writing and Epertase wasn’t everything I knew it could be. That’s not to say it wasn’t the best work I could do, I was just pretty green.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Rhemalda closed their doors in 2014, I stopped writing, and yadda, yadda, yadda, here we are.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">As COVID took us all by storm earlier this year and locked us in solitude, I refocused on my writing career. My forthcoming novel, <i>Death of the Grinderfish</i>, will be released in May of 2021 and I’m super excited about it. But before I release my Grinderfish story, I wanted to accomplish one other goal. And it has been quite an undertaking, to say the least. You see, I wanted to revisit my Epertase trilogy with my current eyes and current writing chops. Over the last 6 months, I have methodically and completely revised my trilogy. Included with this revision is a brand new edit from a very talented editor. She’s quite good and quite brutal. For example, here was her first comment from her first pass through. “I hate this opening sentence. In fact, most of the first chapter needs rewritten. And here’s why …” You can see how I had to leave my ego at the door. It’s important when you have a good editor to start with the philosophy of “the editor is always right” and work backward from that. A good editor’s job is to make your work better. That’s it. They’re not trying to inject their own voice or make you feel all warm and fuzzy. If something sucks, they should say, “This sucks and here’s why.” Now that <i>Legends Reborn</i> is finished, I can say confidently that she was always right. She currently has my Grinderfish book and I’m almost terrified to get it back after her first hatchet job. It’s very hard to hear someone tell you your son is ugly. It’s even harder when you later realize they were right.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"><o:p> </o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">And the final evolution of my Epertase trilogy begins today. My announcement is that as of September 4, 2020 the new, final, and best ever edition of <i>Legends Reborn</i> is available for purchase. If you’ve already read my trilogy, you won’t see many changes in the actual story and probably wouldn’t need to revisit it. But if you’ve never read it, or you want to see how it’s improved, now’s the time. Books 2 and 3 are getting the same treatment and will be released as soon as they’re shredded by my editor later this year. I’ve already revised them. If you’ve ever wanted to try my work, now would be a good time to pick up <i>Legends Reborn</i> either in paperback or ebook. Because I’m such a swell guy, I’ve even provided a <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Legends-Reborn-Light-Epertase-Book/dp/0989991717/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Epertase&qid=1599153270&sr=8-1" target="_blank">link</a>.</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">Here’s the current cover.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;"></p><table align="left" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; color: black;"><tbody><tr><td height="0" width="22"></td></tr><tr><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qoXEVDXQUmnFYbHZaQAkruRe1y-BPKuae3gFAwzOf3l3Ss4b0nMjjOPt4LPkTclfAeD_lgy4h3j1Ow8kp58lDjfQXueEQlSKuMVQuAKEs5GePR6OTsFBYbQ99s9V4UYMW4kaZoJRhr5h/s2048/806D9110-CAA2-40C5-86B3-D93E9D73D3ED.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1295" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7qoXEVDXQUmnFYbHZaQAkruRe1y-BPKuae3gFAwzOf3l3Ss4b0nMjjOPt4LPkTclfAeD_lgy4h3j1Ow8kp58lDjfQXueEQlSKuMVQuAKEs5GePR6OTsFBYbQ99s9V4UYMW4kaZoJRhr5h/s320/806D9110-CAA2-40C5-86B3-D93E9D73D3ED.jpeg" /></a></div><br /><p><br clear="ALL" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;" /><o:p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></o:p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto;"></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; font-family: calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in;">And wait until you read <i>Death of the Grinderfish</i>.<o:p></o:p></p>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-25587685306392929052020-08-16T19:06:00.005-04:002020-08-16T19:14:54.775-04:00Coming soon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKP7GFAdrLT1kYPE-jzUNr9OwUAP7uDgZq3-pUCBhxslgSKArOxhZyiw9m1MIVaoj8_S5LxQOOUBnq3URYMC8qaPxqZgCFFX8sVgAcLXwW37d0lt5c8WsGckAYSOpfjyajM3d0S6YFHvP/s2048/Grinderfish+coming+soon.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1463" data-original-width="2048" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmKP7GFAdrLT1kYPE-jzUNr9OwUAP7uDgZq3-pUCBhxslgSKArOxhZyiw9m1MIVaoj8_S5LxQOOUBnq3URYMC8qaPxqZgCFFX8sVgAcLXwW37d0lt5c8WsGckAYSOpfjyajM3d0S6YFHvP/w320-h229/Grinderfish+coming+soon.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>
As we move through the Corona virus here in Ohio and the rest of the world, I’ve found myself returning to one of my loves. I have a few passions in life. My family, friends, and work come first. But I also love choking my friends unconscious in jiujitsu. Wow, that sounded weird, huh? I might have issues. But anyway, what this blog is about is rediscovering my love of writing. I’ve decided to rededicate my efforts to reviving my dead career, not for money but for the love of creating.<div><br /></div><div>Writing for success is a losing battle for most of us if success is measured by book sells. While I started writing a long time ago because I loved it, selling books became more of my focus than writing them. Losing my publisher and most of the momentum I had built discouraged me greatly. I realized I was measuring my success by how many books I was selling and my sells fell into the crapper. But being locked in my house 75% or the time (I still go to work as a firefighter) encouraged me to delve back into writing as a hobby with one subtle difference. I am no longer concerned about selling thousands of copies of whatever I write. Or even one. Of course, I hope I sell some, but that’s not my goal. It wasn’t at the start of my career and it’s not once again. I want to write to write.</div><div><br /></div><div>Part of the creative process that I’ve enjoyed includes the presentation of my work in a professional manner. Years ago that meant one needed a publisher. But now, with the internet and freelancing, I can achieve that goal on my own. Reaching people will still be the challenge, but I’m not going to worry about that anymore.
So, my big announcement is that I am self-publishing from here on out. Ahhh. That feels good. No more agent searching or publisher querying. Just putting out what I want and seeing what happens. Self-publishing used to mean to some people that an author’s work just wasn’t worthy to be read. Well, that may still be the case. But I don't give a shit. I think my stuff is good and I have plenty of reviews to know others like it as well. Maybe my future stories will suck and someone who buys them will feel ripped off. I truly hope not. All I can do is promise that I will always put my entire heart into presenting you the absolute best story I can.</div><div><br /></div><div>Here’s my loose schedule. I have begun completely revising my Epertase trilogy. As I said, I want what I present to be the best I can make it. Part of that is fixing flaws that I have since determined I had early on with my writing. When I wrote Epertase Book One, Legends Reborn, I was an amateur in every sense of the word. My writing has improved greatly since. I might still suck, but not as bad as I did.</div><div><br /></div><div>My current manuscript is titled <i>Death of the Grinderfish</i>. It is a stand-alone, dystopian fantasy loosely using the Robin Hood theme of stealing from the rich to give to the poor. I will spend a chunk of money on this venture, which is different than when I was with Rhemalda, but it’s worth it to me. I likely won’t sell enough copies to recoup those expenditures since I'm selling them on my own, but that’s fine. The one thing I can guarantee is that I’ll only release something I am 100% excited about. Maybe you’ll buy it. And maybe you won’t. We’ll still be friends either way. In the coming months I will reveal the cover here as well as updates to the May, 2021 release. I hope you’ll join me for this next adventure.</div><div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div><br /></div>
</div>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-10553846224330775532020-03-27T11:33:00.002-04:002020-03-27T11:33:26.490-04:00Woah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wish I still looked like this.</div>
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<br />Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-23694516075987884622020-03-27T11:25:00.000-04:002020-03-27T16:15:43.072-04:00Well-wishes in this Troubling TimeWith the COVID-19 apocalypse upon us, I’ve had a little extra time on my hands as has everyone. While I still go to work every third day as a firefighter/paramedic, my jujitsu obsession (hobby) is pretty much stuck in the mud for now. Since I live in Ohio, the weather sucks, so going outside isn’t much fun. It’s raining right now. Today, I ran on the elliptical. Yikes. How could I lose so much cardio in only two weeks? Oh yeah, I’m almost 47 years old and watching movies all day doesn’t constitute cardio. Wouldn’t it be great if it did, though?<br />
Anyway, I wanted to check in and see how you are all doing. I hope everyone is finding ways to endure your various (and I’m sure numerous) challenges right now. Whether you’re dealing with a terrible loss of income or lack of physical fitness, or if you’re mentally struggling with the isolation and lack of social gathering, I want you to know my family cares about you. (Well, not you, Bill. Fuck you.) Obligatory disclaimer: If you’re name is Bill that wasn’t directed at you and no one here (me) at Epertase mean any offense. Anyway, I hope you understand we are all in this together and, though we might not know each other personally, you’re in my thoughts. Yes, even you, Bill.<br />
I realize I am fortunate to be an “essential employee” (whatever that means) and get to keep working. For what it’s worth, I think everyone who works in society is essential for many different reasons.<br />
As a firefighter, I’m on the front lines and I’m seeing potential cases everyday. I assume I’ll eventually contract COVID-19, but I’m being as careful as I can. I only hope when/if I do get it, I can fight it without needing the assistance of our overloaded healthcare system, or by then the curve has become more manageable. Back in 2009 I got H1N1 (swine flu) and it was a pretty miserable few days quarantined to my bedroom.<br />
Anyway, this blog was to simply check in with everyone and see how you’re doing. I know you’re strong and we’ll get through this together, but I also know it’ll be a tough sludge. Try and hold your head up and grind through the rocky road. I heard a quote today and now I’m going to butcher it for you. When you’re traveling through Hell, it’s best to keep moving.<br />
Also, apparently this was my coming out party for the use of parentheses. (Now, you’re going back and looking at how many times I used them, aren’t you?)Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-66061813295441171412018-03-25T13:31:00.000-04:002018-03-25T13:31:16.239-04:00Normalization of Thievery in the Internet Age<br />
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Anyone
who has downloaded a pirated movie or Napstered their favorite music has
stolen. It’s plain and simple. You can justify it anyway you like. Call it sharing if that makes you feel better. But
I’ve never shared my CDs with someone I’ve never met in some state or country
thousands of miles away. It doesn’t really amaze me that people steal in this way,
because it’s easy and it seems to be human nature to try and get all you can
for as little as you can expend. What does amaze me is how cavalier and
unashamedly people do it now. I wonder if stores suddenly went to the honor system
and stripped their businesses of employees and cameras and consequences for
thievery, would these same people illegally downloading music, books, and
movies now justify taking whatever they wanted from the store? Not all of them
would, I suspect, but a surprising number of people would somehow justify it.
I mean, if you really, really want that new IPhone and funds are a little
tight, Apple’s got bigger pockets than you after all. I get it. It’s your right to have that phone. I’ll
tell you what, let’s call it Iphone sharing with Apple. Does that make you feel
better?</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Whether
it’s the amazon fire stick with Kodi or the guy at the end of the street
selling bootleg DVDs, everyone seems to be stealing nowadays. And worse,
everyone seems to think it’s ok. I’ve yet to hear an excuse as to why it’s ok to download the new Deadpool
movie on the day it’s released. In fact, the responses when I ask my friends why it's OK to take that movie are worse than not being
able to give me a legitimate reason. Their responses are blow off waves at my
sanctimonious questioning. As you read this, you’re either one of two people.
You’re either thinking I’m right and stealing is wrong, or that I’m being a
virtuosic prude and you deserve the entertainment you didn’t pay for. And
that’s the problem. The same people who think I’m a prude because I make it a
point to not steal intellectual property are likely people who would never walk
into a Barnes and Noble (are they still around?) and walk out with a couple
books stuffed into their jackets. Or would they? Once the consequences of
stealing are gone . . .</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: calibri;"><span style="margin: 0px;">I </span><span style="margin: 0px;">guess the reason I’m particularly annoyed today is because I woke up this
morning and came across an article on Facebook from a larger online site that
was remarkably similar to a blog I wrote in December. What made it particularly
frustrating was that the author actually says in the article that the basis of the article (his theory) comes from a fan who recently wrote about the same topic. Hm. Here’s a
screenshot from the story where the author admits to stealing his theory. </span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">The whole article is based on that statement.</span> </span><span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">And
here’s my blog <a href="http://epertase.blogspot.com/2017/12/everyone-we-love-dies-my-walking-dead.html"><span style="color: #0563c1;">http://epertase.blogspot.com/2017/12/everyone-we-love-dies-my-walking-dead.html</span></a> where I lay out such a theory.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">In December.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Of last year.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Shared on multiple Walking Dead fan sites.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">This other article from Ranker.com has had over 272,000 clicks. My blog? A few hundred. Sour
grapes? Maybe. Did this article’s author steal my premise and repackage it as
his own? I’m not so egotistical to think he saw MY article or that I’m the only
one who has thought of the premise behind it, but he did write that his article
was a fan’s written theory and gave no credit to that fan. So even if the
article wasn’t stolen from my blog (which it probably wasn’t in all reality) my
point still stands. He stole it from somewhere, regardless of whether it was
from me or not. He is making money via clicks off of someone else’s work. In
the internet age, there are no recourses for people who have their intellectual
property stolen. And no repercussions for the thief.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">I
once took a picture of a couple firefighter friends acting silly at the station
and wrote a blog about it. It’s here if you wanna take a look. <a href="http://epertase.blogspot.com/2012/02/pranks-turning-harmless-pictures-into.html"><span style="color: #0563c1;">http://epertase.blogspot.com/2012/02/pranks-turning-harmless-pictures-into.html</span></a>
That was in 2012. That picture (with no link to my blog or credit to me)
routinely shows up on my FB feed from a site called firefighter funnies. Why do
I see it? Not because I created it or that I’m a fan of the site, firefighter
funnies, but because I’m friends with a lot of firefighters. When they come
across that picture they think it’s funny and share it without ever knowing I
took it in the first place. How many clicks has firefighter funnies gotten from
my picture? If every couple years it shows up on my feed out of the blue from others who have discovered it, I’d
say quite a few.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Coming
up with premises, writing a coherent article or blog, or penning a story is
long, hard work. Unless you’re a large corporation, there is little recourse
you can do when that work is stolen. Hell, even the big, powerful movie studios
can’t protect their property.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">The
most frustrating of these stories, to me, is this next particular one. I think
it perfectly and painfully demonstrates my above point that the general public
has normalized thievery. The reason this one is so frustrating is because of
the personal nature of how it happened. I was recently at the fire house and a
guy from another station was filling in. I’d talked to this guy a few times in
the past, but it wasn’t like we were best buds or anything. When we had some
down time he sought me out and told me how he was writing a book. I assumed he
did this because he had heard I had written a few and wanted to pick my brain.
He told me it was going to be a werewolf story which piqued my interest for
obvious reasons if you know about my book, Tamed. After 20 minutes of listening to
his idea (far from original, but I digress), I gave him some publishing advice
and mentioned my own writing career. I told him how I, too, had written a
werewolf book (which I’m confident he already knew) and asked him if he’d read
it. He said he hadn’t. As we stood there talking he pulled out his phone and a minute later said, “I’ve got it.”</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Pleasantly
surprised I asked, “You just bought my book?” It's always a warm and fuzzy feeling when someone is convinced to buy your book on the spot while talking about it.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Without
missing a beat he answered, “No. I never buy books. I downloaded it from a
pirate site. I have hundreds of books. Ad movies too.” He held up his phone and there was my book, Tamed, in his library. Instead of being ashamed that he had just stolen
my book, he was proud like he had gamed the system. The problem was I was
the system. That fact was lost on him. He continued boasting about how he never
pays for his media while I stood amazed. Now imagine that. A guy who, no doubt, considers himself a
moral individual had no qualms about stealing my book right in front of me and,
worse yet, bragging about it to the actual creator of it. There was no thought
in his mind that this could be considered a dickhead thing to do. And that’s
the problem. I asked him why it wasn’t stealing and he looked at me like I had
suddenly grown a second head. I ended the conversation, made note that this guy
was a fuckhead who I would avoid in the future, and went on about my day. But I
admit I was a bit salty, if you couldn’t tell.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">I
come from a unique position on this topic. I’ve created art that has actually
been stolen to the profit of others. Normalization of online thievery happened
years ago and continues to this day. There is no way to fight it. Somehow, if
you take a stand against stealing online material in this internet based world,
you are now the pariah. You’re now the uptight prude. My friends roll their
eyes at me when I call it stealing. I don’t know how we got here, but if you’re
a creative person, good luck in the future.</span></span></div>
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<span style="margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: calibri;">Now,
if you’ll excuse me I’ve got a friend holding the movie theater exit door open
and if I don’t get there soon I’ll actually have to purchase a ticket. Yikes.
Gotta go.</span></span></div>
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<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: calibri;"></span>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-79140502035490110182017-12-17T11:16:00.000-05:002017-12-17T11:19:04.568-05:00Everyone We Love Dies - My Walking Dead Theory (Spoilers)<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWi6DAN7f-zq3YeqJn-wDFkVbkOGExOn0L-xhs5SEQRQae1yRbf6xKxgTWI3lyTYSptq8M3YXWuHJrRqgkWYwxrfQx_a6V8fComzviZZz4p7QP135U3Cy_nzmL3cBA9BUHeYhLWWMUEPbz/s1600/WD.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="191" data-original-width="326" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWi6DAN7f-zq3YeqJn-wDFkVbkOGExOn0L-xhs5SEQRQae1yRbf6xKxgTWI3lyTYSptq8M3YXWuHJrRqgkWYwxrfQx_a6V8fComzviZZz4p7QP135U3Cy_nzmL3cBA9BUHeYhLWWMUEPbz/s320/WD.bmp" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">My Walking Dead Theory</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">*Spoilers galore* from the mid-season finale.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">So, Carl is the next main character to die? The end of
season eight’s mid-season finale all but guaranteed as much. To save him now
would make the Glenn dumpster fake-out death of a few seasons ago look like
genius storytelling and not the gimmicky fraud that it was. Carl dying is shocking
to the WD faithful because of the amount of energy the show has put into
developing his character. He’s the next leader when Rick can no longer do it,
right? Killing yet another well-established character becomes all the more
devastating when you take into account the piss-poor job the show has done in
building interest in any new characters after Michone showed up in Season 4
(maybe it was season 3). I mean, does anyone even think about Rick’s daughter
at this point? What about the weird lady with the short bangs who runs the
group that, if it only cost 10 cents to give a shit about, no one would be able
to spare a dime?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Who’s left from when the show was at its best? Well, we have
Daryl, Michone, Rick, Maggie, and Carol. I guess you could also add Morgan to
that group. Imagine if Seinfeld killed off Kramer in season 4 and then tried to
keep the fans interested with new, half-assed additions. That’s what The
Walking Dead does regularly. I’ll give them credit for a few additions like
Ezekiel, Neagan, and Jesus (Ok, you can have the mullet guy too, I suppose),
but they’re not Kramer and they’re definitely not Glenn.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This in part stems from the show growing from a wasteland of
very few survivors to a Georgia full of different factions with their own
armies. On top of killing beloved characters in hopes of creating new Kramers, this
flood of different factions dilutes the character development immensely and
makes one not care about any of them. Hell, 30 people could be killed in a
single episode this year and I challenge you to name one of them.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">With such poor character development over the last few
years, and the influx of meat (nameless characters) for the grinder, killing
Carl is horrible writing at its core. There’s no replacements like when Shane
died and we had Hershel and Maggie growing in our hearts. Killing Carl is a
cheap, emotional grab. Like killing Glenn and Hershel before.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Or is it?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As fans, we all envision the end of the series happening in
our own various ways, but I think most of us hope for some of our beloved
characters to save the day. Maybe we’d lose one or two of them heroically at
the end for emotional weight, but overall we expect Rick and Daryl to escort
Rick’s baby (no use committing her name to memory at this point) and Carl into
some sort of Utopia full of cured and happy people. Maybe Maggie brings her and
Glenn’s baby along with Carol and Michone in some metaphor for a bright future.
That’d be nice, wouldn’t it?</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">But that’s not the world the creators have created. And
we’re fools to think differently.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Before I give you my theory on why I think Carl and Glenn’s
deaths had to happen precisely when they happened, I want to add one more
point. People often compare the show to the comic book and look for it to
follow along in structure if not necessarily to a tee. But there’s a major flaw
in that way of thinking. The comic is designed to run forever, but the show has
a finite number of episodes by the nature of being a TV series. Unless it’s the
Simpsons, shows like The Walking Dead will inevitably run its course and be in
danger of getting cancelled. With an end of the series always in mind, killing
our beloved characters throughout the series only makes sense when you consider
that the story isn’t going to have a happy ending. Let’s pretend everyone is
going to die at the end. Have you considered that very real possibility? If
this is the case, you can’t be angry because the show has done a good job of
preparing you for that inevitability. If a depressing, morbid ending is indeed
the endgame, what would be the best way to work toward it? Would it be carrying
all of the main characters to the last season and then having to kill them all
in a short period of time? That might be more than we fans can handle. Or would
you, as the show’s creators, want to get as much mileage out of each of the
main characters’ deaths as you could? As a writer who knows everyone is going
to die, then it makes perfect sense to kill them along the way for maximum
payoff for each death.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This also makes sense when you look at reports of Chandler
Rigg’s (Carl) anger over being killed off after being assured he was part of
the show’s future. I think he even bought a house in Georgia earlier this year
with a future on the show in mind. I believe he did have a future but something
changed for the writers. What could that be? The show has been losing ratings year over year and,
though I don’t know the ratings this year, the mess that the show has become
can’t be good. If the creators have seen the writing on the wall that the show
might have run its course, they might have decided to move up their kill-fest
of our favorite characters. In this case, say "Good-bye Carl. Sorry you bought a
house."</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">If my theory is correct, this does not bode well for our
other friends, Daryl, Maggie, and Michone. If I’m right, look to lose another
major character in the season finale next spring as well as a steady drop in
main characters next season. We’ll likely lose Ezekiel or Jesus soon as well.
I would expect reports to start circulating in the news in the coming weeks and months hinting at the end of the series. If you were sad to see Carl (a character obviously groomed to lead the group)
die, brace yourself for what’s inevitably still to come.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Because in The Walking Dead, like in life, no one makes it
out alive.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Thoughts?</div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-53016275012939752792017-09-13T18:46:00.000-04:002017-09-25T20:39:56.798-04:00Sweep the Leg<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">While my first two blogs on jujitsu have been about my
experience in trying a new sport, in this blog I hope to show you how stepping
out of your comfort zone can be worth the effort. In my blogging history I’ve
been quite open about my failures, whether it be in my writing career or
firefighting or whatever tickled my ass at that particular moment. This blog is
the opposite. This is about a small victory I’ve had in jujitsu and how I hope
it can inspire you to step out of your comfort zone and try something you’ve
always wanted to try.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">As I stepped into Mr. Dale’s gym, I was ready for a new
lesson. I’d been at it for a couple of months and was loving every minute of my
experience. My friends are sick of hearing me drone on about my latest class
which is why I’m now going to bore you. OK, hopefully not bore you.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">While I was getting loosened up on the mat, two young ruffians
(mid-twenties) entered through the main door. They spoke to Mister Dale for a
minute and then took off their shoes and joined the class. I’d like to tell the
story like these two newcomers were the villains and Mr. Dale and I were like Mr.
Miyagi and Daniel-san but, to the detriment of this story, these two guys were
as friendly as they come. With a skeptical glare, I introduced myself. Who were
these invaders to our gym? One of the guys, Jeff, was 6’4 and about 230 LBs.
The other guy, we’ll call him Frank, was smaller (maybe my height) with a
decent build and a strong handshake. They said they were on leave from the
military and wanted to learn some jujitsu. Damnit. Military? Another kink
in my good-vs-evil storyline. These guys were coming off as Mother Theresas and
I’m starting to look like the real jerk here. I should probably drop this
particular narrative.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">After warm-ups, Dale paired off with the big guy and told
Frank to roll with me for two minutes. I had no idea what I was supposed to do,
but figured I’d just try to improve whatever position I found myself in. Frank
and I faced each other and he spit on my outstretched hand . . .</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Still not buying it? Alright, no spit. So he shook my spitless
hand and we began on our knees. He immediately swarmed, aggressive and strong.
I tried to draw on my last couple months of training and stay calm. He was
stronger than me—I could feel it—as he pulled and pushed. Instead of matching
strength, I dropped to my back and let him have the top position. I focused on
getting my legs around his hips so he was in my guard.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">He yanked at my legs and tried to get around them, but I
focused on getting him back into my guard and, amazingly, I was successful each
time. I tried a sweep I had previously learned to reverse our positions and end
up on top, but he was too strong and not in the right position and fought it
off. I stayed calm and pulled him back into my guard. He feverishly tried to
pass my legs but by some martial arts magic I was able to reposition and keep
him where I wanted. I tried another sweep and that time, somehow, I ended on
top of him in the mount (one of the better positions to be in). He immediately
bucked his hips and pushed with all of his strength. I calmly held firm and
remained in the mount. I used very little strength to rebuff his escape attempt
which further emphasized the benefit of technique over brawn.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I leaned my chest close to his face like Mr. Dale had done
to me and put my weight onto his chest. I’d say we were about a minute thirty
seconds in. While I know about three submissions from this position, and I’m
sloppy with all three, I wanted to try something. I isolated his left arm in
hopes of securing a shoulder lock. He fought it off well, mostly with strength.
Then he whispered, “I need a rest.” I grinned. I knew the feeling from when Mr.
Dale had smothered me two months earlier. (Yes, that’s what I’m saying—after
two months I’m now as good as Mr. Dale. Don’t tell him I said that.)</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I relaxed for a few seconds. He took a couple of deep
breaths and then said he was ready to continue. I spent the last 10 or 20
seconds attempting any submission I could come up with, but I had no luck. Dale
called time and we untangled ourselves. We shook hands and thanked each other.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Dale said to switch and Jeff, the behemoth, made his way
toward me. “Really?” I said.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Dale nodded.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I was about to be screwed.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Jeff and I shook hands and began. I took the same tactic as
with Frank and pulled Jeff into my guard. He seemed to have some knowledge of
jujitsu because he knew how to break my guard with his elbows. Plus he was as strong
as an ox. . . An evil ox.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Jeff was too big and strong and I was too tired, which
caused me to be defensive most of the first minute. I thought I might die. With
about a minute to go and, since neither of us were getting anywhere, we fell
into me showing him a few of the sweeps I’d previously learned.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">While Jeff was a beast and I was tired, it was my experience
with Frank that I’m drawing on for this blog. Though I didn’t do anything
spectacular with Frank, I had more success than I ever could have had merely
two months before. It shows me I’m learning a ton. Here was a young guy,
stronger and fitter than me, yet with even my limited knowledge and technique I
was able to somewhat control him and have success.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">And that’s the point of this blog. Not so much as to talk about
what could come across as boring jujitsu positioning and technical blah, blah,
blah, but more to show you how any ole’ slob could work toward a goal and have some
success. It sounds easy but I know it’s not. For a lot of people it’s that
first step that’s the killer. It’s the confidence to try something new. I’ve
lacked confidence in my life, so I get it. If you’re reading this and there is
something you’ve always wanted to try, or maybe you’ve been inactive as of late
and aren’t happy with gaining a few pounds, I’m here to tell you to find that
something you want and work toward it. Just like I’ve found jujitsu.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Have you always wanted to swim? Go join a YMCA and learn. Take
that first step. Or plunge. Don’t worry that you won’t be able to do it,
because I’m telling you that you will. Don’t worry about looking foolish or
beating Michael Phelps either, because none of that matters. I promise you two
months from now you’ll be better than you currently are, and you’ll be glad you
tried. You may even enjoy yourself.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">It’s not all physical either. Do you wish you could write a
book? Go write one. If you don’t like how it turns out after the first draft (no
one ever does), work on it until it’s something you’re proud of. Read books on
writing. Draw on your favorite authors. Do whatever it takes to work toward a
goal.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">My friend, Tony, just went to Africa and hiked the trails of
Mt. Kilimanjaro. That sounds insane to me. I used to say I could never do something
like that, but at 44 years old I’ve learned that, if hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro becomes
my passion one day, I could totally pull it off. Maybe not tomorrow but, if I
worked toward that goal, it could happen. You could do it too is the point.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’m an average guy at best. There is nothing spectacular about
me. Just ask my wife. If you’ve had a week of jujitsu training, you might still
whup my butt on the mat. That doesn’t matter. I’m still going to work at it for
the foreseeable future and maybe someday I’ll actually be good at it. Or maybe
I’ll decide to play a guitar. If that becomes my next passion, then I’ll give
it my all. I imagine after two months of guitar, like with jujitsu and Mr.
Dale, I’ll be as good as the teacher.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I’m just kidding, Mr. Dale. Please don’t hurt me in Friday’s
class.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Sometimes I talk too much.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Update: It’s been over a month since the military guys
stopped in and I haven’t seen them since. Maybe they found another gym or maybe
jujitsu wasn’t as fun as they hoped it to be. Regardless, I’d like to believe it
was our stellar defense of Mr. Dale’s gym and the villains have moved on to
easier targets. Good guys-1, Bad guys-0.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: "calibri";"></span>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-48178839889936019972017-09-02T12:46:00.000-04:002017-09-02T12:46:44.481-04:00Swing and a Miss
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Writing books can be a bitch.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I recently put the finishing touches on my latest fantasy
novel,<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Death of the Grinderfish</i>.
While this manuscript has been a WIP for many years, I finally buckled down and
finished my dystopian world. I was ecstatic with the results and couldn’t wait
to get it into the hands of my beta readers. I even read through it one more
time before sending it out just to be sure and I loved the adventure as much as when I first came
up with the concept. This story was a result of years of tireless hard work. My
beta readers were going to be blown away. Or so I thought.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">With excited anticipation I gave out my heart and soul to
the same beta readers I’ve used for each of my novels. Now, it was just a
matter of waiting for the adulation to come pouring in. I might note that during
the editing phase my aunt’s less-than full-throated enthusiasm should have been
my first hint that something wasn’t right, but I ignored any doubts because of
how much I loved the story.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My mom was the first beta reader to get back to me. She was
engrossed in the story and loving it. So far so good. But at some point she
lost interest and set the book aside. When I grilled her on what had happened
she wasn’t exactly sure. She said she had just lost interest and would get back
into it at some point. She never did. Yikes. That’s not good. But fantasy
wasn’t her thing, so let’s wait for some other opinions.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Slowly, each beta reader returned their notes. While none of
them confessed to not liking my story, none of them were blown away by it
either. Most of their critical notes were either technical in nature or minor
stumbles like a chapter that dragged on too long or a conversation felt too
stilted. Those types of critiques. But behind all of their minor criticisms was
a lack of enthusiasm for the story that I hadn’t received before. I soul
searched and read through the manuscript again and again I loved what I had
created.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I didn’t and still don’t understand what’s wrong with the
story. I have never experienced this. I’ve had bad reviews and good reviews and
I understand how stories rub different people in different ways but these are
my beta readers. These are the ones who support my writing and generally like
what I’ve written which is why I settled on them in the first place. To have
received such lukewarm responses told me the future critics and readers would
be brutal. My philosophy (stolen from someone much wiser than myself) was if I
wrote something I personally liked, then others would like it as well. That has
worked well for me to this point, but now I’ve lost a little faith in that
approach.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As an optimist I decided to move on to something else and
put the Grinderfish on the back burner for now, but I have a new problem. I have
lost some confidence and enthusiasm in my own writing. This isn’t me pitying
myself, it’s me trying to move on without understanding what went wrong in my
last venture. I don’t trust my stories anymore. I usually take between a year
and two years to write a book, but now I am finding it difficult to muster the effort
when I’m not sure how the final product will be received. For example, when I
run into a tough part I’m more apt to close my computer and walk away.
Sometimes I go weeks before I return and muscle through my stumbling block.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">As much as I’d hate to say it, but the loss of my publisher,
combined with the enormous effort and time in my Grinderfish failure has taken
something from me. But more than that, I don’t know where I went wrong. If I
open my Grinderfish story today and start reading it, I love it. Is this just a
case of thinking my children are wonderful when the rest of the world sees them
for the heathens they are? If so, how do I trust my judgement in the future?
How do I bleed and sweat into an idea if I have no way to determine if the honey
is worth the hard work? I’ve written things that I ultimately didn’t care for
and relinquished them to the wastecan of my computer, but this one is
different.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">In saying all of this, I must add that I am confident that
I’ll be fine in whatever I do with my writing. I am fortunate to be an
optimist. When I get knocked for a loop, I tend to move on and heal to be
better than I was before. I’m working on something new now. My newest
manuscript has just hit 40,000 words of a planned 80,000. I’d like to say I’m
liking the progress, but I don’t trust my opinion at the moment and need to
reserve my opinion until I see how it turns out. My new story is tentatively
titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Thin Line</i> and it’s my
attempt at a new direction.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s hope it doesn’t suck.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s hope I can tell if it does.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s hope it’s not Grinderfish part deux.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’ve posted the first chapter of my Grinderfish story on my
blog if you’d like to see it. Here’s a link. <a href="https://epertase.blogspot.com/p/death-of-grinderfish-c-1.html" target="_blank">Ch. 1</a></span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike><span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-82482947301449437732017-08-18T16:00:00.000-04:002017-08-18T16:00:08.756-04:00Two Times the Pain<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m a month into this jujitsu training and, while my body is
a wreck at times, I’m loving it. So far I’ve had a slight ankle sprain from
rolling on it wrong, a catch in my back, a slight groin pull from, I assume,
slacking in my stretching, and the typical aches and pains from pushing a
40+-year-old body into a new physical endeavor. In the month or so since I
started, Mister Dale has taught me a ton but I’ve barely scratched the surface.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Tonight’s class was going to be a bit different than
previous classes. Mister Dale was on vacation and a friend of his joined Mister
Steve to lead the class. The new guy—Ben—was a 22 or 23-year-old, 2<sup><span style="font-size: x-small;">nd</span></sup>
degree blackbelt, sporting long hair and a calmness that comes from knowing his
craft. He was my size, only more fit from being 20 years my junior. After the
warm-ups and stretching, Steve announced we were going to have a little open
grappling to begin. He paired me with Ben.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Have you ever had that sinking feeling you were about to be
in a world of hurt? Yep, I had that feeling.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We shook hands on our knees and began. Like Mister Dale had
done a month before, Ben eventually lay onto his back and pulled me into his
guard. Using my elbows like I’ve been taught, I pushed down on the insides of
his thighs to break his lock on my waist. It worked. Sorta. He repositioned as
I tried to pass his left leg and I was back in the guard with his legs tight
around my waist. I was intensely focused on trying the most basic techniques
I’ve learned, while Ben casually allowed me to attempt them. Ben was awesome.
As I tried a particular escape, he’d either let me do it or he’d make me pay. But
then he’d show me what I had done wrong. If he rolled me to my back, he’d teach
me a way to avoid what had just happened. That’s not to say I could avoid it,
only that I learned one way to try.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">At one point I was on my knees in his guard (his legs around
my waist) and my hands were on his chest. I felt a slight ramping up of his
effort as he pushed one of my hands between his legs, threw his legs over my
shoulders, and pulled my other hand toward his chin. I know this sounds
confusing but think of a pretzel and then think of me as the pretzel. I knew from
watching the UFC that he was putting me into a triangle choke, but I was
powerless to stop it. Though Ben moved slow and methodically, I couldn’t
resist. He locked his legs around my head. There was nowhere I could go. Calmly
he squeezed. My first thought was, “Shiiiit!” I knew if I didn’t tap
(surrender) then he could put me to sleep.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My second thought was, “Let’s see how bad this can get.”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now understand, Ben was being very kind and soft on me. It
was probably a little dickish on my part to not tap when he was being so kind
but I was curious to what would happen. I tried to remember how UFC fighters
escaped this triangle choke but nothing came to mind. Ben, realizing I wasn’t
getting the point, repositioned a tad and pulled my head toward him. At the
same time he pulled my head down he pushed my extended arm from his chest to
his side where, now, I was not only being choked but my elbow was being
hyperextended. Oh, did I mention that he squeezed his legs a little tighter?
Yeah, that sucked too. At this point I had no choice but to tap. So, that’s
what I did. And mercifully, Ben released his hold.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Next, I was privy to a guillotine choke which is as unpleasant
as it sounds. Yep, I tapped that time also. This entire experience is humbling.
Try imagining a game of basketball against Lebron James and then imagine you’ve
never touched a basketball beforehand. That’s what it can feel like at times,
only with a little more pain. I’ve heard Joe Rogan call MMA “High-level problem
solving with dire consequences” and I think that is a brilliant way to describe
the sport. I’m currently experiencing the consequences part.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We ended the open grappling session and then Steve led us
through a couple different techniques. I was fortunate to stay paired with Ben to
practice those new techniques. I was in Heaven if Heaven was having constant
pain and choking.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Toward the end of class Ben had a chance to show off a
little. He lay on his back and told me to try and pass his legs again from his
guard. As you’ve read in this blog and in my last blog I’m not having a lot of
luck doing this. There was one difference this time—he didn’t use his hands. As
if to further demonstration my ineptitude he locked his fingers behind his head
like he was resting in a hammock. I used two legs, two arms, my head, a
baseball bat, three knives, and the jaws of life and couldn’t get past his
legs. I coulda sworn that guy had more legs than a spider. We played this game
until time was up (roughly a minute or two) and I loved it. I have learned so
much already, despite what you’ve read so far.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Class ended yet I wanted it to go on for hours. Ben was
fantastic. I’m having a blast in this new endeavor. I hope to keep it up
indefinitely. Now, it’s time to find an icepack and a chiropractor. Before you
go, can someone please help me get out of this chair?</span></div>
</div>
Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-69223183508530017292017-07-29T12:14:00.000-04:002017-07-29T12:14:01.504-04:00First time
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Those of you who follow this blog will know it mostly for my
musings about my writing career and the fire department. After the closure of
Rhemalda Publishing in 2013, I found myself drifting away from the publishing
world as I eluded to in my last post over a year ago. I still write because I
love it and it is a part of who I am, but some of my enthusiasm for the
publishing world ended with the close of Rhemalda. While I have a couple of
finished books sitting in my computer, I no longer have the desire to chase agents
and publishers and sales. Maybe I’ll put them out myself someday, but who
knows.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today, I’ve decided to return to my blog but this time I’m
taking a bit of a different direction. Whereas I’ll continue to update you on
developments in my waning writing career as well as pass along any potentially
entertaining stories about the fire department, I’m going to write about a new
endeavor I’ve undertaken. After all, this blog has always been a way for me to
entertain regardless of the subject matter I’ve chosen to talk about.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While my new endeavor might not exactly be your cup of tea,
I’m hoping you’ll stick with me for a bit. I’ve always believed if the writing
is good enough, the subject matter isn’t as important. Hell, I’d read about
origami if it was Stephen King writing about it.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“What is this new endeavor?” you may be asking yourself. For
many years there has been something I’ve wanted to try but have never had the
balls to actually step into a gym and try it. As a 24-year fan of MMA and, more
specifically the UFC, I’ve always been mesmerized by Brazilian jujitsu. So,
that’s my big announcement—I’m going to learn to fight and join the UFC.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ok, not really.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Over the years I have been able to speak intelligently about
MMA in the sense that I could talk about previous fights, make reasonable
predictions on upcoming fights, and generally understand what’s happening in
the cage. But here’s the thing, I’ve always felt like more of a fraud than
anything when talking with others who have actually attempted some aspect of
MMA. It would be like you telling me what it’s like inside a house fire because
you’ve watched training videos of one. Sure, you could tell me about the
temperature in a room at the ceiling (1100 degrees or more) or that it’s
crucial to stay as low as you can, but could you really know how your knees
burn through your gear each time one touches a new spot on the floor when the
basement below you is on fire? Or how the space between that bulky gear and
your skin is designed to buffer some of the heat and, in particularly warm
fires, every movement that causes the inside layer of the gear to touch your
skin removes that air buffer and makes it very uncomfortable? Without experiencing
those little details, it’s hard to speak with a lot of credibility. That’s how
I’ve always felt when talking about the sport I love.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">My personality is one in which I have a difficult time
stepping out of my comfort zone. It was probably my biggest hurdle in leaving
my small town to apply for firefighter in the big city of Columbus, Ohio. It’s
odd because making myself apply 18 years ago turned out to be one of my best
decisions ever, yet leaving my comfort zone still remains difficult at times. That
apprehension kept me from ever walking into an MMA gym despite my love of the
sport. I guess I feared being the new guy in a gym full of killers. At least,
that’s how I imagined it.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">A few years ago I was walking through a hotel with my wife
and my buddy and his wife. We were in Indianapolis for a night out and we were
staying in a downtown hotel. I was wearing a Tapout t-shirt. Tapout apparel is
a brand that, at one time, was associated with MMA and derives its name from the
act of tapping out, or surrendering, when you’re in an unwinnable position and
you want to avoid having your arm broken or being choked unconscious. For a
while you could buy Tapout clothing anywhere and it became somewhat popular. We
were walking through the hotel lobby when someone said, “Hey buddy,” from
behind.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I turned, as anyone would, and pointed to myself like, “Me?”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The guy was a fit, bulky guy wearing a pilot’s uniform and
pulling a suitcase. “Where do you train?” he asked. </span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I didn’t know what he meant at first. Seeing my confusion he
added, “Your shirt, man. You train?”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was instantly embarrassed because I didn’t “train”
anywhere. I shook my head and mumbled, “Oh, I don’t train.” I could almost feel
my balls shrivel up.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">“Oh. My bad,” he added and continued walking.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The embarrassed part of me secretly justified my choice in
apparel by reasoning that wearing a Tapout shirt was merely a stylish show of
support for the sport. The pilot (and I can only assume 900</span><sup><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: x-small;">th</span></sup><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> degree
blackbelt, king-of-the-world practitioner) wheeled his suitcase past as I
joined my friends in a chuckle. But I felt like an idiot. Even my buddy was a
black belt in Tae Kwon Do back in the day. Once the pilot was gone I played it
off and said something like, “I’m wearing a Steelers shirt tomorrow for the football
game but I’m also not on the Steelers,” but the damage had been done. I felt
like a phony despite that I wasn’t trying to advertise the contrary.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m successful in all of the metrics of my life that I
consider important but, to this day, that incident still eats at me. I’m a
family man. I’m a promoted officer with a great fire department. I’ve had 4
books published as an author. And I’m still a fraud when I talk to friends about
MMA.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I turned 44 years old in June and decided age was just a
number. My wife and I signed our son up at a local martial arts gym and, with
my wife’s nudging, I decided to join him for the jujitsu classes. I had been
working on getting back in shape since January so I wasn’t exactly starting
from the couch. My first jujitsu class was scheduled for the coming Friday and
I spent that week nervous and excited at the same time. I told myself that no
amount of embarrassment was going to hold me back. I was diving in head-first.
Even if the gym was full of parents and other spectators and I knew I’d look
like a 44-year-old idiot trying to learn to “rassle,” I wasn’t going to let it
stop me. In the days before my first lesson, I even took a yoga class to help
with my horrible flexibility. BTW, Yoga is HAAAARD.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">When Friday arrived I took a deep breath and walked into the
gym, judging spectators be damned. The owner and lead instructor was a badass
named Dale—an older man with buzzed, greying hair, a goatee, and about 200
years of experience. We started class with stretches and push-ups and jumping
rope. Let me quickly add, if you want to get some exercise, jump rope. Holy
crap. He said to do two minutes and I about laughed. Hell, I can do two minutes
of anything, I imagined. But 40 seconds in I was ready to pack up shop and go
home. OK, it wasn’t that bad but you get the jest.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After learning a technique called a shrimp where you
basically lie on your back and scoot a very specific way backward across the
mat we were ready to start class. Mister Dale said we were to pair up and
grapple (another name for wrestling) for two minutes. He was to be my grappling
partner so he could judge where I was in technique and experience. I imagined
two minutes would be about a minute forty-five more than he needed to evaluate
my skill level and lack thereof.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We started with a handshake as we faced each other on our
knees. I asked, “What do you want me to do?”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">He said to simply wrestle him. My superficial knowledge of jujitsu
told me I wanted to get on top and ideally straddle his waist in what is known
as the mount position. I also knew if he got on top of me I needed to get my
legs around his waist in what is called the guard. I aggressively dove forward.
He calmly dropped to his back as if inviting me to climb on top. So far, so
good. I scrambled to get my right leg past his left leg so I could work myself
into the mount position. At the same time I used my hands to push his left leg
to the floor and tried to swing my leg over to have it beside his hip like I’d
seen on TV. But he subtly shifted his upper body, and pushed with his feet. Somehow
I was right where I started. I tried again and, again, I got nowhere. I pushed
and pulled and strained but getting around his legs was like trying to untie a
knot while riding a roller coaster. I was thinking, “I’m a grown freakin man
and I can’t even get past this guy’s leg?”</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Forty-five seconds in, I was a faucet of sweat yet he was
dry (minus the sweat I had shared with his shirt) and didn’t seem at all winded.
When he decided to attack, it was methodical. He wrapped his legs around my
waist like a steel trap and held me there to see if I knew how to get out. I
didn’t. I felt instantly helpless. He calmly reached up and grabbed one of my
arms. In a flash, I was on my back and he was on top of me. It happened so fast
I didn’t understand how I’d ended up beneath him. It was as if my brain had
hiccupped and there I was. So much for getting my legs around his waist. If I
didn’t know how to get out of his guard, I sure as Hell didn’t know how to get
out of his mount. At this point we were about a minute in, give or take 3
hours. His every movement was deliberate, never using more energy than needed
while I floundered like a fish. He leaned forward to where his chest was
against my face forcing me to turn my head to the side in order to find breath
that was nowhere to be found. Somehow, by ancient martial arts magic, he had
all of the oxygen sucked out of the room.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For a split second I wondered what I had gotten myself into.
He slowly wrapped his arms around my head. I gasped for air. I was drowning in
a river with my arms and legs tied together and I couldn’t see the surface
anymore. As he squeezed what little air I had left out of my lungs I realized I
could never do this and was a fool to think I could. As I surrendered by tapping
his side and he released his hold, I realized there was nothing in this world I
wanted to do more. My self-doubt, while suffocating seconds before, had lasted about
as long as it had taken me to surrender and was instantly replaced with a thirst—an
unquenchable thirst. Dale let me free and we continued.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Exhausted and terrified to get close to him, my
aggressiveness turned to apprehension. I had quickly learned that any movement
I made would endanger me in ways I’d never been endangered before. If I reached
an arm out, he could take it home with him. If I leaned to the left, I’d end up
smothered and on my back again. Leaning to the right, I found, was no better. I
was lost. Confused. Hopeless. I surrendered repeatedly and repeatedly he
immediately released his vice-like hold. Despite all of this, at the end of the
two minutes, I couldn’t stop smiling. This was as hard as any two minutes of my
life and, as impossible as any future progress seemed, I couldn’t wait to try
it again.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">That feeling lasted about 10 seconds, or roughly as long as
it took for Dale to say, “Change partners,” and I saw Steve—the next killer—waiting
in line. This would not end well for me.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">First Steve and I dropped to our knees and shook hands. Then,
before Steve could annihilate me, I blurted, “Remember, I don’t know any of
this stuff.” Luckily, Steve took it easy on me which was good because I gave
about as much resistance as an exhausted rag doll.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After our open grappling session we began the teaching portion
of the class. Using Steve as his victim, Dale showed us a basic way to escape an
opponent’s guard (him on his back with his legs around Steve’s waist). This
would have been good information a bit earlier. The rest of the class consisted
a couple other techniques and practicing these newly learned skills. I loved
it.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After we stood and bowed to end the class, I b-lined
straight to Mister Dale. I thanked him repeatedly for opening my eyes to this
world. I thanked Steve for his help and expressed my desire to do this every
day I could from here on out.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I haven’t been this hungry for anything in a long time. When
I was in my 20’s it was a potential firefighting career that drove me every
day. When I was thirty I decided to get my body under 10% body fat and
eventually I reached that goal as well. In my late thirties I delved into
writing and put my heart and soul behind that endeavor. Now, in my mid-forties,
I’ve found a new passion and, as long as my aching, 40+year-old body can hold
up, I’m going to give it my all. I have no desires or illusions about competing
in the future or becoming some great jujitsu practitioner, I only want to learn
every time I’m in the gym and improve upon the class before.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Someday, I’ll be able to talk about the sport of MMA with
real-world knowledge and, if the inevitable follow-up question “Where do you
train?” comes up, I won’t slink away. I’ll answer with pride. And I’ll wear
that fucking Tapout shirt again.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin: 0px 0px 11px;">
<br /></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-15066024898571885722014-08-31T21:53:00.002-04:002014-08-31T21:53:32.724-04:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Hello all. I’ve been away for a while and I hope this blog
finds everyone doing well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, let’s see. Where should I start? As most of you already
know, late last year Rhemalda Publishing closed their doors. That little
development knocked a bit of wind out of my sails, to use an overused cliché.
For over three years I lived, breathed, ate, and dreamed about how to help
Rhemalda grow into something special, which in turn would have boosted my
career as well as the other Rhemalda authors at the same time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That kind of relentless focus and drive over
a long period can take something out of a person and I’m no different. The
disappointment of the closure of Rhemalda forced me to step back and completely
reevaluate my writing career.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After rereleasing my books under my own imprint of Epertase
Publishing, I ended the year fairly exhausted and with a published writing
future looking rather bleak. I realized I was back right where I had started. You
know, query letters and manuscript submissions followed by the soon-to-receive
rejections and heartbreak of my next story not being “quite what we’re looking
for at this time.” I stood back and wondered if it would even be worth it to
start over and if it was did I have the energy to try. The answer was no.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Kinda.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Not yet, anyway.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I decided to do something drastic. I decided to leave the
writing world completely for a while and see if it recharged my batteries at
all. I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t write a blog or Facebook post about my
decision. I didn’t do anything except walk away. Heck, I haven’t even looked at
my current WIP since last December. And promotion. Forget it. I’ve done nothing.
Zilch. Nada. And do you want to know what happened? It was the single greatest
thing I could have done. Sure, the sales of my books have ground to a near
standstill, but I couldn’t care less anymore. Here’s why.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">After seven months, I am missing the actual art of writing.
I mean I’m really missing it in a I-love-pizza-and-can’t-have-it-anymore kind
of way. I don’t miss the bullshit that comes with trying to be a published
author, but I do miss the writing. Leaving the writing world allowed me to look
at what was important and realize that critical reviews, number of sales, and
that sort of garbage doesn’t really matter. I had never planned on a writing
career as being my financial way of life (I run into burning buildings for
that), so why the hell should it matter how many books I sell. Don’t get me
wrong, people don’t typically do things in hopes of failing, and I’m no
different, but what is success really? I’ve sold a respectable number of books
for being a nobody. Is that success? I’ve signed books at Barnes and Noble,
been interviewed on the local news and in papers, and have even had a
legitimate Hollywood production company show interest in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tamed</i> (still ongoing but I haven’t heard from them for a while, so
my hopes aren’t real high for that anymore.) So, is that success? I don’t know.
The point here is why should I care? I started writing because I had stories to
tell.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 8pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The other day I got out my current WIP and started toiling
away at it. I loved working in that world again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 107%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;">I
plan to move forward with my current WIP. Once it’s finished I’ll write something
else. In the meantime, I might try a query letter again and send it off to see
what happens but if it doesn’t work out then that’s life. I’ll just put the
book out on my own and write something else. It’s good to be back. I hope
everyone is having success in whatever you do. </span>Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-42151989795248026852014-08-31T21:36:00.001-04:002014-08-31T21:36:21.817-04:00Starting AnewThe long, frustrating query process for an agent or new publisher of my new dystopian fantasy begins. Aaarrgghh. I should really self-publish it.Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-32423926858508113202013-12-24T18:22:00.001-05:002013-12-24T18:22:31.029-05:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglbSnZf3m9LtRdX-oG_FSlYt1m0UenQUJQ5tCe4xYXvZWv7weVLlbXonkxNZyCmdI1KVGv-pzTqyIl5qMR4vbSOaVGhD299oRPrRCmvr1FNpBtA7or-tUvEhdqHkNOLYydpS_h-8a0lt7/s1600/Epertase+christmas.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhglbSnZf3m9LtRdX-oG_FSlYt1m0UenQUJQ5tCe4xYXvZWv7weVLlbXonkxNZyCmdI1KVGv-pzTqyIl5qMR4vbSOaVGhD299oRPrRCmvr1FNpBtA7or-tUvEhdqHkNOLYydpS_h-8a0lt7/s320/Epertase+christmas.jpg" width="248" /></a></div>
<br />Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-37394765433110493582013-11-29T08:44:00.000-05:002013-11-29T08:46:04.283-05:00Black Friday blowout sale for EpertaseGot a kindle or kindle app? Looking for something to read? Check out the biggest blowout sale ever for my fantasy trilogy, <a href="http://amzn.to/1iiFFS5" target="_blank">The Light of Epertase.</a> For under 3 bucks you can own the entire trilogy for your kindle or for the kindle of someone you love. This is a one day only sale so get it now. <a href="http://amzn.to/1iiFFS5">http://amzn.to/1iiFFS5</a> Enjoy<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnJZ_fPLUGRK1zkDDUW6yTjGQDvISEpqGaRLrqVqeQc4UyGOkPjxomW0NZa4Te2G_bQkrhI9JGQHgEmrKUIU2Vu3_zkr570tYv5tpthxf7FeDBPcu0BvFnHMbHtFRnXn495in0DmIQCIy/s1600/Book+Three+cover+relaunch+smallcopy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipnJZ_fPLUGRK1zkDDUW6yTjGQDvISEpqGaRLrqVqeQc4UyGOkPjxomW0NZa4Te2G_bQkrhI9JGQHgEmrKUIU2Vu3_zkr570tYv5tpthxf7FeDBPcu0BvFnHMbHtFRnXn495in0DmIQCIy/s320/Book+Three+cover+relaunch+smallcopy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br />Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-19652605051762603702013-10-22T08:39:00.000-04:002013-10-22T08:39:25.681-04:00Free Death AlarmThat's right. My horror short story collection, <em>Death Alarm</em>, is free for the kindle this week. No strings attached. Just click <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Death-Alarm-ebook/dp/B00F1DP4GQ/ref=la_B004TZG6AA_1_2_title_0_main?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382444180&sr=1-2" target="_blank">here</a> and download it to your kindle. It includes three stories as well as a 3-chapter preview of <em>Tamed</em>. Also available as a paperback. Here's the cover by the incredible Steve Murphy:<br />
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Remember to leave me a review. I personally think the story <em>Skelwaller Lane</em> is the best of the three but I'd like to hear your thoughts. Remember to leave a review at Amazon.</div>
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Synopsis:</div>
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<em>Death Alarm</em> is Douglas R. Brown's twisted tales of the macabre. In this three-story collection, Douglas explores the devastating depths of mental illness, the evil that burns within men who kill, and angels who aren't always what they seem. <br /><br />In the title story, <em>Death Alarm</em>, Douglas uses his real-life experiences as a career firefighter to explore the consequences when those who go to the rescue become those most at risk. When pure evil battles the noblest of professions, the blood will flow like water from the very hydrants that firemen use every day. <br /><br />Following the title story is a psychological tale entitled <em>Janitor</em>. Working the nightshift in a run-down factory, Jeb quickly realizes he may not be alone. What does the man dressed in black want with him? And can Jeb keep his sanity long enough to find out? <br /><br />Closing out the collection is a brutal story titled <em>Skelwaller Lane</em> where sometimes even the most horrible behavior can be justified if only you listen to how the true story begins. <br /><br />In addition, Douglas has included an exclusive 3-chapter preview of his break-through novel, <em>Tamed</em>, where werewolves are sold as pets. Recently called, "the <em>Jurassic Park</em> of werewolf stories," Douglas is excited to give you a peek with this free preview. <br /><br />In the <em>Death Alarm</em> short stories, Douglas grabs you by your arms. <br /><br />And then he chops them off.</div>
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Sensitive stomachs need not continue. </div>
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Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-28424105268099152052013-09-24T10:07:00.002-04:002013-09-24T10:10:18.494-04:00A Tale of Two ReviewsI imagine authors don't typically like to show brutal reviews of their books but I'm going to show one anyway. I'm going to show you a recent 1-star review for <em>Legends Reborn</em> as well as a 5-star review, because I think it demonstrates the point I'd like to make for this blog. Everyone who has ever put something creative into the world will already know what I'm about to say. Art is created with the best of intentions and whether someone likes that art can go any way imaginable. One person might enjoy short chapters while another person may despise them. One person might like deep character descriptions down to the chipped front tooth, while others quickly scan those long, descriptive paragraphs just to get to the action. If an author spends too much time world building, he/she might be criticized while an author who doesn't build the world enough might be equally trashed by someone else. That's what makes art great. For instance, I watched the movie <em>World War Z</em> this week and loved it. Some of the reviews I've read haven't been so kind.<br />
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These opinions can often emote a visceral response. If that response is, "This is the greatest thing ever and I need to tell the world," that's what the artist had hoped for. On the other hand, if the response is, "This is the crappiest piece of crap I've ever read and I need to tell the world," well, you understand how disappointing that would be. I once heard someone a lot smarter than me say, "If you believe the great reviews, then you must believe the bad ones." (That might not be the exact quote but you get the point.) I believe that quote but it doesn't dull the edge of the bad ones.<br />
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Let's look at my most recent 1-star shellacking. <a name='more'></a><br />
There are spoilers in this review so be warned. Also, I'm not going to defend my book after this review, nor will I boast about how great my book is after the positive review either. (Personally, I'm right in the middle with my own view of <em>Legends Reborn</em> and I think there are relevant points in each review.)<br />
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<span id="freeText16889924795518288073">In <em>Legends Reborn</em> Rasi witnesses soon to be King Elijah rape and murder a woman; after removing his tongue to keep him silent, Rasi is sentenced to death by combat. After escaping from prison by defeating a tentacled creature (whose tentacles have now attached themselves to Rasi) Rasi claims he will exact his revenge on Prince Elijah and then ……………….. nothing. <a class="jsShowSpoiler spoilerAction" href="http://www.blogger.com/null" style="display: none;">(view spoiler)</a><span class="spoilerContainer"> Seriously, nothing happens for 100 pages. Rasi lives in a cave, it snows, he kills some animals, he lights a fire, and it snows again. He does this for seven years. Then he meets and falls in love with Prince Elijah’s daughter who is not only NOT frightened of the killing, mindless tentacles on Rasi’ s back she somehow manages to calm them. Then its four more years of Rasi living in a cave with occasional visits from the princess and lots of “woe is me” when the princess is not there. Then the princess is kidnapped (of course she is) by her father who doesn’t want to give up the Light/Power of the throne and Rasi goes out to find her. </span>Meanwhile a mindless killing enemy called Teks are approaching from the sea and threaten to wipe out the entire empire with their new mechanical army of machines. This novel is filled with every bad fantasy trope out there: beautiful princess falls in love with the rebel who threatened to kill her father; corrupt king; wrongfully imprisoned warrior who will fight to save the empire; and a unknown enemy who threatens to destroy the world. The plot moved at glacial speed, the writing was overly simplistic, the characters flat and without dimension (really, why are the Teks attacking), and there were random point of view chapters thrown in that did not advance plot or character development. This was not a well crafted story and I had to force myself to finish.<a class="actionLinkLite" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10457701-legends-reborn#">(</a></span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">And here is a 5-star review.</span><br />
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<span id="freeText7509661234884577786">Douglas R. Brown expertly crafts a complex and fascinating epic fantasy in LEGENDS REBORN.<br /><br />Rasi is tired of war, even though he’s up for the captain’s position of the Epertasean army. On the night he decides to reject the position, he witnesses a horrific attack upon a young woman. Now sentenced to die for her death, he must find a way to survive because Epertase doesn’t know that it needs him to survive the growing threat upon the horizon.<br /><br />LEGENDS REBORN drew me into the rich fantasy world of Epertase. The characters are well-developed and aren’t always quite what they seem with their agendas. The complexity of the worldbuilding felt realistic and reminded me of how the Native Americans (Epertase) must’ve viewed the Europeans (Teks). Yet Brown does a fantastic job to keep the reader in the moment and not bogging the reader down with the backstory and worldbuilding. I cared about these characters and what would happen to them.<br /><br />LEGENDS REBORN by Douglas R. Brown is epic fantasy at its best. I look forward to reading book two, A KINGDOM’S FALL.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #cccccc;">And because I'm having such fun, here's one more review.</span><br />
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I understand I'm in the minority here but this is the worst book I've ever had the displeasure of finishing (though I've read worse books that I haven't finished). It's everything a fantasy book shouldn't be: slow, plodding, boring characters, and an uninteresting and poorly described world. A grand total of about five things happen during this book only one of which is actually interesting and, even then, only because it comes out of nowhere. I finished this book in the expectation that there would be something by the end to hook me into reading the rest of the series so many people have recommended to me. There wasn't. Don't waste your time with this crap and read Zelanzy's Chronicles of Amber series instead. It's a time/dimension travelling series where things actually happen, a big departure of this waste of paper and ink. </div>
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OK, I cheated a little on that last one. It's not actually a review of <em>Legends Reborn</em>. It's a review for Stephen King's <em>The Gunslinger</em>. You know, from <em>The Dark Tower</em> series.Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-80136183632613070012013-09-23T11:27:00.001-04:002013-09-23T11:27:53.641-04:00Ohio Comic Con 2013Well, another successful comic con has ended and I'm exhausted. I don't feel this comic con had as much traffic as the last two that I've attended, but I managed to sell 85 books. A little less than previous cons, but still pretty good I'd say. Special thanks to the talented Steve Murphy for all his help. <br />
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Continue to see pics from the con. <a name='more'></a><br />
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Here's a pic of the piece he worked on this year. It is done with ink and colored pencils.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlN2-8yaNBSFnQd5553GXtt9YInVSCphg9o512i3hM7M2r8lS0c2ZEy4sBulwhLCshEfXTBroSJdReC1h5F-_B4rSSEEx7BqsSpOGIkV4wzg8ixGnGLDV2oqC7gPrDbdCMPy7NlCuAZNtF/s1600/comic+con+2013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlN2-8yaNBSFnQd5553GXtt9YInVSCphg9o512i3hM7M2r8lS0c2ZEy4sBulwhLCshEfXTBroSJdReC1h5F-_B4rSSEEx7BqsSpOGIkV4wzg8ixGnGLDV2oqC7gPrDbdCMPy7NlCuAZNtF/s320/comic+con+2013.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's our booth. It's not much different than the last con but here it is:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo87iRGh0HL22wGhE9MzYyeBTAIKIwyXaVRFSOfBXc3HC9j8zbPMhsglK09SvzylhfOWiURUTlFwIVEN0zFxFYnIfPYoR_RGryLG14_HKO34nC0flsgOmxlxnOetwSMlMcymmhquQiOVj4/s1600/comic+con+2013+5.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo87iRGh0HL22wGhE9MzYyeBTAIKIwyXaVRFSOfBXc3HC9j8zbPMhsglK09SvzylhfOWiURUTlFwIVEN0zFxFYnIfPYoR_RGryLG14_HKO34nC0flsgOmxlxnOetwSMlMcymmhquQiOVj4/s320/comic+con+2013+5.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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The costumes never cease to impress. Here are a couple of guys for you Star Wars fans:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOK935WZIC6S6t3JTfE_k_FteEH7MBErYt2uq23IsCToTii2ckEu1SxXETQO56aj0Rs7ORTkpEk-TXA9o8Ksp0DdpgUFacxXrLFZbB4M2PIGUy6y985R2pSKcpBYLTza9iSq3nnwkfgYZj/s1600/comic+con+2013+3.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOK935WZIC6S6t3JTfE_k_FteEH7MBErYt2uq23IsCToTii2ckEu1SxXETQO56aj0Rs7ORTkpEk-TXA9o8Ksp0DdpgUFacxXrLFZbB4M2PIGUy6y985R2pSKcpBYLTza9iSq3nnwkfgYZj/s320/comic+con+2013+3.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
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My wife even joined in on the fun. Here she is trying to promote my books as Elvira:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVgmJoBRN1AT_vbdMBas5JO2ijN9Ohf41IGHcvjDPv9juV5NShlAB6bPceRVYJ8LpL8_5LVDYgjGELs4m1KATHvExx8aiQpLnQMQrNgEfcGRA5CUekaQxzAH61VvD5YqSHJ0O1EN3TUrl/s1600/comic+con+2013++4.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOVgmJoBRN1AT_vbdMBas5JO2ijN9Ohf41IGHcvjDPv9juV5NShlAB6bPceRVYJ8LpL8_5LVDYgjGELs4m1KATHvExx8aiQpLnQMQrNgEfcGRA5CUekaQxzAH61VvD5YqSHJ0O1EN3TUrl/s320/comic+con+2013++4.JPG" width="239" /></a></div>
Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-71245547247726426702013-09-16T19:55:00.000-04:002013-09-16T19:55:44.511-04:00Lemons into LemonadeAs I begin the re-launch of my books (see my announcement about Rhemalda closing <a href="http://epertase.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-new-beginning.html" target="_blank">here</a>), one of my first orders of business is changing the covers in my Epertase trilogy a bit. Thanks to Steve Murphy, I couldn't be happier with the results. Here is a look at Epertase covers 2.0.<br />
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Next, I will be getting the ebooks up and running so that I can keep the reviews and rankings at Amazon and others. I'm also using this re-launch opportunity to revisit <em>Legends Reborn</em> and tweak it a bit, because I feel my writing has gotten smoother in the years since I wrote it. I'm like George Lucas except that I'm making my trilogy better. (Yes, that was a shot across the "Greedo shoots first" bow.) <em>Legends Reborn</em> won't change much, just some of the flow. I'm also fixing a couple minor inconsistencies that had been missed during the first run.<br />
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Short of the covers, I'm not changing <em>A Kingdom's Fall</em> or <em>The Rise of Cridon</em> at all. I'm happy with them. The paperback versions of all my books should be available in a month or so.<br />
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As far as <em>Tamed</em> goes, the cover will be identical minus the Rhemalda logo, but I may tweak the interior a bit on it as well. That'll be next week's project. I'm overwhelmed with work, but once it's finished it'll be worth it. Keep an eye on this space for more.Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7653289895722362588.post-80753635054739687002013-09-12T09:47:00.000-04:002013-09-12T09:54:52.593-04:00A New Beginning<br />
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I have a bit of news. Not life-or-death news, just
disappointing news.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Sometimes a door can close when you’re least expecting it. And when it does, you
have to roll with the punches because that’s just how life is. Once a door
closes, you have a couple of choices. You can give up and move on, or you can
push onward. Sometimes, the door that just closed needed to close
in order for the next door to open. I’m hoping this is one of those times. In
fact, I consider myself an optimist and, therefore, choose to believe that this
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">is</i> one of those times.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">If you follow Rhemalda Publishing or any of the other
Rhemalda authors then you probably already know my disappointing news. If not, read
on. It is with regret that I relay the announcement from Rhemalda Publishing that
they are closing their doors effective October 1st. I am officially a free
agent. There are several factors that contributed to this decision by those in
power at Rhemalda, but let’s just leave it at this: The publishing industry can
be a tough business and the headwinds against small press publishers have grown
too strong. In addition, the Internet has made it possible for authors to print
their own books with a quality that had previously been reserved only for publishers.
Even the big publishers are struggling to compete in today’s environment.<span style="color: red;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">As a company, Rhemalda started their business with the goal
of being author friendly at all costs. As far as I’m concerned, they have consistently
made good on that goal. Also, Rhemalda set out to release a high-quality
product, and if you've read any of their books over the years, I think you'd
agree that they have succeeded. In the end, I consider myself fortunate ...</span><br />
<a name='more'></a><span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">to have
been along for the ride, and I believe with all my heart that they did all they
could do to be successful in this market. Ultimately, it just didn't work out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m not going to lie. This news was tough for me to wrap my
head around at first as I had focused an infinite amount of time and effort and
sweat into doing my part to help Rhemalda succeed. After all, their success was
symbiotic with my own success. We were in this together. But, alas, it wasn’t
to be.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Despite this unfortunate turn of events, I consider my time
with Rhemalda overwhelmingly beneficial, even if we didn’t set the world on
fire with what we had created. Rhett and Emmaline and the entire Rhemalda staff
have been nothing but top notch and at this point I consider them more friends
than business partners. They have handled the ups and, more importantly, the
downs with grace and professionalism. In fact, with the end of Rhemalda fast
approaching, they are still handling their authors in the fairest way possible.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">All of this leads to where I go from here. My initial
reactions to the news were sadness for Rhemalda, disappointment for myself, and
I’ll admit, fear over what happens to my previously released books as well as my
future as an author.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">First and foremost, thanks to Rhemalda’s integrity, I can
report that the rights to all four of my books have been reverted back to me in
their entirety. That means I don’t lose my books as I might have if Rhemalda was
forced to go bankrupt or chose to fight to keep my rights for whatever reason. That
is one of the biggest concerns anyone should have when signing with a small
press. But because of Rhemalda’s decency as well as their business sense, they
aren’t going bankrupt, so losing my books isn’t an issue. Also, Rhemalda and I
have reached a more than fair agreement for me to acquire the covers, maps, and
everything else that makes my books what they are. I am eternally grateful to
them for it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">This means my books don’t have to disappear with this
announcement. Since the day I decided to seek publication, I did so with three main
goals in mind. None of those three goals were to be rich, and I’ll be honest
with you, I don't care if I ever make much money off my books. No, my three goals
have always been (1) to create stories and see them in print with the highest
quality possible, (2) to get my books a click away for anyone who stumbles upon
them, and (3) for those books to always be available. Rhemalda gave me the
opportunity to accomplish my first two goals and I am happy to report, because
of their help, I plan to continue the third.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">My books will continue to be available in the same places
they are now. Readers won’t notice much interruption, if any, in the
availability of them. The eBooks should have no interruption at all, while the
paperback versions will go on hiatus for only a few weeks as I upload them into
Lightning Source (the same printer Rhemalda had used). That interruption is
simply because the upload process can take several weeks.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Since I’ll be using the same printer, there will be no drop
in the quality of my books. There should only be two differences that anyone will
even notice after October. One is necessary and minor while the other is of my
choosing. The first will be my new logo (created by Steve Murphy), replacing
Rhemalda's logo. Here’s a first look at it:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18x8qKkJx2sfRfuhELZ49yr3py-ZerfoTVLp-MVUnHGOK1XLCfngVdl0WxYzvyKbI8wlThU9qtr_Vbdr73SCYLQpgvUSi0LMi4Jto7PJv5W-HPuNS-5TdYxFzuZyagJDgA5gMaM7m3n0N/s1600/IMG_0215.PNG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh18x8qKkJx2sfRfuhELZ49yr3py-ZerfoTVLp-MVUnHGOK1XLCfngVdl0WxYzvyKbI8wlThU9qtr_Vbdr73SCYLQpgvUSi0LMi4Jto7PJv5W-HPuNS-5TdYxFzuZyagJDgA5gMaM7m3n0N/s320/IMG_0215.PNG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span> </div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Second, a more noticeable change will be in the cover font
of my Epertase trilogy. I was never completely satisfied with the font we had chosen
and now I have the opportunity to change it. This visual change will, in part,
commemorate what I visualize as a re-launch of my writing career. Also, I will
probably label these books as second editions, so hold onto the ones you
currently own because when I do this, first editions (the Rhemalda editions) will
never be available again.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">With some of the shock and disappointment over the news waning,
I am starting to get a little excited about this next path for my writing
journey, even if it isn't a path I would have preferred. In the distance, I see
a tiny crack in a door that’s waiting to be opened. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">So, let me end this long-winded blog with a peek at where
I'm going from here with future works. I plan to keep writing, that’s not even
a question. My current project is a dystopian fantasy novel titled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Death of the Grinderfish</i>. I have
been working on this book off and on for a couple of years and am really
excited about how it’s coming along. The first major draft is finished.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">When my Grinderfish story is in tip-top shape, I will spend
a brief time seeking out a new publisher. With no offense intended to Rhemalda,
this time I will seek out a larger publisher for the added security that comes with
such a choice. In saying that, I realize I will narrow my chances greatly, but
after this brief search, I will happily put the story out on my own alongside
my current library. I think it would make a great addition.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">In retrospect, I’ve enjoyed having a publisher behind my
work. I’ve learned a lot and my books are better than they ever would have been
if I had done it all on my own. Now, I can take what I’ve learned as well as
the connections I’ve made, and I feel the quality of my future books can be
just as good as I feel my last four are.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Who knows what the future holds? Maybe I’ll find another
publisher who believes in me and maybe I won’t. I have more to offer now than I
did before.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">For one thing, I am a far better writer than when I searched
for a publisher for the first Epertase book. I think my improved writing is
readily apparent to anyone who has read all three books in the trilogy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">The second reason I look forward to this search is that my
resume will now include several published works. I have been published four
times and have decent sales numbers to show for it, which is a great plus. Rhemalda
is closing, but I am still standing, ready to see what’s behind that next door.
Today, I begin striking out on my own. Where’s this going to lead? I have no
idea. All I can do is put together the best stories I am able, work hard, and
let the pieces fall where they may.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "Garamond","serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Let me close by bidding a sad farewell to Rhemalda, the
company. I hope all of the other wonderful authors, editors, artists as well as
Rhett and Emmaline stay in touch and have nothing but success in their future
endeavors.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Epertasehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11201264771630506520noreply@blogger.com2