Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Cover Reveal: Stained by Cheryl Rainfield
I'm honored to announce that I've been asked to be part of the cover reveal for Cheryl Rainfield's new book, Stained.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Book Thoughts: Son by Lois Lowry part 2
by J.R. Wagner
This is part 2 of this post. Click below for part 1.
Part 1
Warning: Spoiler Alert!!!! As always, I like to think of this as a collection of thoughts rather than a review.
As I was saying (in part 1) Son is broken into three parts. Of all three, I found the second most enjoyable.
After escaping on board a supply boat, Claire finds herself in a small village by the sea having shipwrecked and lost all memory of how she got there. She recovers and regains some of her memories -most importantly that she has a son for whom she is is bent upon finding.
The village is situated at the base of sheer cliffs. There are two ways to leave the village. First is by sea, which Claire has no desire to attempt due to her fear of the water. Second is up the cliffs. Only one villager has ever made it to the top of the cliffs. (only to be tossed back down and crippled in the process)
Claire decides to try for the top of the cliffs under the guidance of Einar (the guy who made it up...then tossed off). Her training begins. When she is finally ready to make the climb. Six years have passed. I really enjoyed her training, which was far from boring or monotonous.
The Climb
The climb out spans four chapters and is covered in meticulous detail. You feel as though you are there with Claire with every hand-hold, every step up, every slip.
Part three of the book is less about Claire (which I found disappointing because she is such a compelling character) and more about her son, Gabe. Because I have not read Gathering Blue or Messenger, I was not aware that Jonas and Gabe had survived their trek over the mountain (and was somewhat disappointed to find out that they had, mostly because in the back of my mind I wonder whether keeping them alive was best for the story) but it was immediately apparent in part three of this book that both are alive and well.
The story seems to slow at this point. I suppose if I had more invested into these characters (by reading books 2 and 3) I would have enjoyed spending more time with them but my only focus was on Claire, who was a peripheral character for much of this part of the story.
I will not ruin the details of the ending. I'll say I wasn't thrilled with the wrap-up -but I'm one of those readers who like endings that make you think (like The Giver) more often than endings that leave you feeling satiated.
This is part 2 of this post. Click below for part 1.
Part 1
Warning: Spoiler Alert!!!! As always, I like to think of this as a collection of thoughts rather than a review.
As I was saying (in part 1) Son is broken into three parts. Of all three, I found the second most enjoyable.
After escaping on board a supply boat, Claire finds herself in a small village by the sea having shipwrecked and lost all memory of how she got there. She recovers and regains some of her memories -most importantly that she has a son for whom she is is bent upon finding.
The village is situated at the base of sheer cliffs. There are two ways to leave the village. First is by sea, which Claire has no desire to attempt due to her fear of the water. Second is up the cliffs. Only one villager has ever made it to the top of the cliffs. (only to be tossed back down and crippled in the process)
Claire decides to try for the top of the cliffs under the guidance of Einar (the guy who made it up...then tossed off). Her training begins. When she is finally ready to make the climb. Six years have passed. I really enjoyed her training, which was far from boring or monotonous.
It had been six years now since the day she had been carried from the sea, and five since the morning that Elen's birth had returned the memory of her son to her. Somewhere he would be a half-grown boy; running, shouting, playing.
The Climb
The climb out spans four chapters and is covered in meticulous detail. You feel as though you are there with Claire with every hand-hold, every step up, every slip.
It took Claire longer than she had expected to make her way through the narrow shadowed tunnel that the crevice had formed. It was not life-threatening, as the rope-assisted passage across the cliff face had been.There was no sheer drop here.Does she make it up? Yes. What I will not divulge is what waits for her at the top. I had envisioned all sorts of men and monsters yet none were quite so terrible as what Claire eventually faced. But face it she does.
Part three of the book is less about Claire (which I found disappointing because she is such a compelling character) and more about her son, Gabe. Because I have not read Gathering Blue or Messenger, I was not aware that Jonas and Gabe had survived their trek over the mountain (and was somewhat disappointed to find out that they had, mostly because in the back of my mind I wonder whether keeping them alive was best for the story) but it was immediately apparent in part three of this book that both are alive and well.
The story seems to slow at this point. I suppose if I had more invested into these characters (by reading books 2 and 3) I would have enjoyed spending more time with them but my only focus was on Claire, who was a peripheral character for much of this part of the story.
I will not ruin the details of the ending. I'll say I wasn't thrilled with the wrap-up -but I'm one of those readers who like endings that make you think (like The Giver) more often than endings that leave you feeling satiated.
-----------------------------
~In the book world, word of mouth is king~
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.
To purchase Exiled, option the movie rights, hire me as a writer for the next Blade Runner
film, the next Star Wars film...any film! For updates on the soon-to-be-released
novella(pictured below), book 2 updates, for videos, fan art, contests and more awesomeness, visit my website (click on the website tab)
New from J.R. Wagner...
A tale of perseverance, strength and redemption.
Coming soon.
In bookstores now
Friday, January 18, 2013
Signed book Giveaway
Yes!
I'm giving away signed copies of Exiled!
I will send them ANYWHERE!
Here is the deal:
Beginning at 12 noon EST today you can earn entries by following the Rafflecopter instructions below.
Every time this blog either
1. gains an additional ten followers OR
2. increases its pageviews by 500 during the giveaway (runs 1/18-2/18 12pm EST-12pm EST)
the person with the most entries will win a signed copy of Exiled.
Note: You can win only once during this giveaway.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~In the book world, word of mouth is king~
I'm giving away signed copies of Exiled!
I will send them ANYWHERE!
Here is the deal:
Beginning at 12 noon EST today you can earn entries by following the Rafflecopter instructions below.
Every time this blog either
1. gains an additional ten followers OR
2. increases its pageviews by 500 during the giveaway (runs 1/18-2/18 12pm EST-12pm EST)
the person with the most entries will win a signed copy of Exiled.
Note: You can win only once during this giveaway.
Good Luck!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
~In the book world, word of mouth is king~
If you enjoyed this post, please share it with your friends.
To purchase Exiled, option the movie rights, hire me as a writer for the next Blade Runner
film, the next Star Wars film...any film! For updates on the soon-to-be-released
novella(pictured below), book 2 updates, for videos, fan art, contests and more awesomeness, visit my website (click on the website tab)
New from J.R. Wagner...
A tale of perseverance, strength and redemption.
Coming soon.
In bookstores now
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Book Thoughts: Son by Lois Lowry part 1
by J.R. Wagner
Warning: Spoiler Alert!!!! As always, I like to think of this as a collection of thoughts rather than a review.
I recently started and finished reading Son, by Lois Lowry. I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Giver and for some reason, I decided to skip over the second (Gathering Blue) and third book (Messenger) in the series and go right to the last. Don't ask me why. I have books 2 and 3 sitting on my shelf waiting to be read...anyway
Warning: Spoiler Alert!!!! As always, I like to think of this as a collection of thoughts rather than a review.
I recently started and finished reading Son, by Lois Lowry. I read and thoroughly enjoyed The Giver and for some reason, I decided to skip over the second (Gathering Blue) and third book (Messenger) in the series and go right to the last. Don't ask me why. I have books 2 and 3 sitting on my shelf waiting to be read...anyway
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
Panacea Chapter 9
by J.R. Wagner
I strongly recommend reading chapters 1-7 before continuing
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
I ran to Tessa (more like a shuffle at this point) and attempted to pull her off the man she was beating with her bloodied fists. Tears were streaming down her face as she screamed and struck the man. Eventually I had to tackle her to get her off the guy, who had long since fallen unconscious.
We both fell to the ground. She rolled me onto my back and was on top of me before I knew what was happening. She had her fist raised, her clenched hand was dripping blood, and I was pretty sure she was about to start wailing on me. She had a crazy look in her eyes.
"Tessa," I said as calmly as possible. (I was far from calm.)
She paused there for a moment as if she were considering the sound of my voice and then fell into a heap and began to cry. I tried to comfort her but the instant I touched her, she pushed me away. So, I left her to her emotional purging and decided to see if I could find anything of interest on the unconscious man laying a few feet away.
I rolled over to his side (What? It's easier than getting up, walking a few steps and then stooping back down -gotta think of the knees!) and sat up. I made it a point not to look at his face, which was beaten worse than I'd seen anyone beaten before. That girl's got major issues, I thought as I rummaged through his exterior pockets.
I found a couple of high-capacity magazines, one of those pre-threaded dental flossers (pink), some sugar free gum (must have a clean mouth obsession) and an ID card.
I had to do a double take on the ID card. The photo looked familiar. It was Tessa's dad. I put it in the pile with all the other junk I'd collected and checked the over-sized pockets in his pants. Nothing interesting. A tooth brush and a small tube of toothpaste -the little ones your dentist gives out after you've had a cleaning.
The man's hands began to twitch a bit and I decided I was done with my search, so, picking up the magazines, the flosser and the ID card, I returned (yes, I actually got up and walked) to Tessa's side, who was now on her knees and wiping the tears from her face.
"I found this," I said carefully laying my booty on the ground beside her (except for the flosser, which I began working on my teeth).
She looked down at the small pile with an uninterested expression until she noticed the ID card. Tessa pulled it out from under the clips causing them to smack into each other while I cringed hoping she didn't inadvertently cause the ammo to fire. She lifted the ID close to her face with one hand while wiping her eyes with the other.
For a long time she inspected the card until eventually she began rotating it then finally turning it on its side and inspecting the edges. Finally, she removed a razor knife from her pocket, set the badge on the ground and sliced off the edge just beside the picture.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Something isn't right?" she replied.
Again she lifted the badge, this time squeezing the edges causing it to bulge out on either side. She tipped it over and a small white square fell onto her hand. She held it up showing me the opposite side. It looked like a maze with a blue square in the center.
"What is it?" I asked.
Rolling her eyes at my stupidity, she got to her feet.
"This is a RFID chip. Do you know what an RFID chip is, Roland?" she asked as if I was a third-grader.
"Of course I know what an RFID chip is. Just never seen one like that before," I replied. (remind me to Google that later) "What's the big deal?"
"Two things. First, this isn't my dad's active ID badge. As you can see," she said tossing it at me, "it expired several weeks ago. Second, they don't use RFID in this building. They use NFC, which I'm sure you aren't familiar with. (It doesn't have to do with a football championship game? I thought.) Anyway, RFID -Radio Frequency Identification and NFC -Near Field Communication technology are used in loads of places," she continued, stepping over the still unconscious yet twitching man in black as if he were a fallen log. "NFC's are more commonly used for security purposes -like getting into a building where RFID's are used to locate something -in a warehouse, for example."
"So you think your dad was being tracked?" I asked.
"No, moron, I said his card had expired. I think he intentionally put the RFID chip inside his card as a clue."
We began descending the ladder.
"A clue? For who?
"For me, doof. When I was younger every time he wanted to give me a gift, he would leave a trail of clues for me to follow until I found it. As I got older, the clues got harder."
"Why do I feel like I'm in that movie National Treasure?"
"We've been playing this game long before that movie came out. Anyway, I know where we need to go next." she said.
"Care to enlighten me or are you just going to ditch me again?"
"You've proven yourself quasi-useful so I'll keep you for the moment," she said.
"Awfully nice of you."
"There is a warehouse two hours north of here. We need to get there by dark."
While she didn't say it, I knew we'd be breaking into a huge, creepy, dark warehouse. Perfect.
 |
| Click for original photo source |
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
I ran to Tessa (more like a shuffle at this point) and attempted to pull her off the man she was beating with her bloodied fists. Tears were streaming down her face as she screamed and struck the man. Eventually I had to tackle her to get her off the guy, who had long since fallen unconscious.
We both fell to the ground. She rolled me onto my back and was on top of me before I knew what was happening. She had her fist raised, her clenched hand was dripping blood, and I was pretty sure she was about to start wailing on me. She had a crazy look in her eyes.
"Tessa," I said as calmly as possible. (I was far from calm.)
She paused there for a moment as if she were considering the sound of my voice and then fell into a heap and began to cry. I tried to comfort her but the instant I touched her, she pushed me away. So, I left her to her emotional purging and decided to see if I could find anything of interest on the unconscious man laying a few feet away.
I rolled over to his side (What? It's easier than getting up, walking a few steps and then stooping back down -gotta think of the knees!) and sat up. I made it a point not to look at his face, which was beaten worse than I'd seen anyone beaten before. That girl's got major issues, I thought as I rummaged through his exterior pockets.
I found a couple of high-capacity magazines, one of those pre-threaded dental flossers (pink), some sugar free gum (must have a clean mouth obsession) and an ID card.
 |
| just like this |
I had to do a double take on the ID card. The photo looked familiar. It was Tessa's dad. I put it in the pile with all the other junk I'd collected and checked the over-sized pockets in his pants. Nothing interesting. A tooth brush and a small tube of toothpaste -the little ones your dentist gives out after you've had a cleaning.
The man's hands began to twitch a bit and I decided I was done with my search, so, picking up the magazines, the flosser and the ID card, I returned (yes, I actually got up and walked) to Tessa's side, who was now on her knees and wiping the tears from her face.
"I found this," I said carefully laying my booty on the ground beside her (except for the flosser, which I began working on my teeth).
She looked down at the small pile with an uninterested expression until she noticed the ID card. Tessa pulled it out from under the clips causing them to smack into each other while I cringed hoping she didn't inadvertently cause the ammo to fire. She lifted the ID close to her face with one hand while wiping her eyes with the other.
 |
| Kind of like this only cooler |
For a long time she inspected the card until eventually she began rotating it then finally turning it on its side and inspecting the edges. Finally, she removed a razor knife from her pocket, set the badge on the ground and sliced off the edge just beside the picture.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Something isn't right?" she replied.
Again she lifted the badge, this time squeezing the edges causing it to bulge out on either side. She tipped it over and a small white square fell onto her hand. She held it up showing me the opposite side. It looked like a maze with a blue square in the center.
"What is it?" I asked.
Rolling her eyes at my stupidity, she got to her feet.
"This is a RFID chip. Do you know what an RFID chip is, Roland?" she asked as if I was a third-grader.
"Of course I know what an RFID chip is. Just never seen one like that before," I replied. (remind me to Google that later) "What's the big deal?"
 |
| RFID |
"Two things. First, this isn't my dad's active ID badge. As you can see," she said tossing it at me, "it expired several weeks ago. Second, they don't use RFID in this building. They use NFC, which I'm sure you aren't familiar with. (It doesn't have to do with a football championship game? I thought.) Anyway, RFID -Radio Frequency Identification and NFC -Near Field Communication technology are used in loads of places," she continued, stepping over the still unconscious yet twitching man in black as if he were a fallen log. "NFC's are more commonly used for security purposes -like getting into a building where RFID's are used to locate something -in a warehouse, for example."
 |
| NFC |
"So you think your dad was being tracked?" I asked.
"No, moron, I said his card had expired. I think he intentionally put the RFID chip inside his card as a clue."
We began descending the ladder.
"A clue? For who?
"For me, doof. When I was younger every time he wanted to give me a gift, he would leave a trail of clues for me to follow until I found it. As I got older, the clues got harder."
"Why do I feel like I'm in that movie National Treasure?"
"We've been playing this game long before that movie came out. Anyway, I know where we need to go next." she said.
"Care to enlighten me or are you just going to ditch me again?"
"You've proven yourself quasi-useful so I'll keep you for the moment," she said.
"Awfully nice of you."
"There is a warehouse two hours north of here. We need to get there by dark."
While she didn't say it, I knew we'd be breaking into a huge, creepy, dark warehouse. Perfect.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Music with a Message, Who Says? Selena Gomez
by J. R. Wagner
This is the eighth song in my Music with a Message series. Music for teens that was released within the past five years and has a positive, uplifting, self-esteem boosting theme.
This is the eighth song in my Music with a Message series. Music for teens that was released within the past five years and has a positive, uplifting, self-esteem boosting theme.
Song: Who Says
Artist: Selena Gomez
Album:When the Sun Goes Down
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Friday, January 11, 2013
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Exiled, a YA fantasy novel to be available for FREE
Yes!
Exiled, The first book in the Never Chronicles Series will be FREE in honor of my soon-to-be-released novella, Tristis Manor (below)
Details:
From: 12:01am on Saturday January 12th
to: 11:59pm on Sunday January 13th
Where? Amazon.com Click Here for a direct link
Be sure to grab a copy and enjoy!
Exiled, The first book in the Never Chronicles Series will be FREE in honor of my soon-to-be-released novella, Tristis Manor (below)
Details:
From: 12:01am on Saturday January 12th
to: 11:59pm on Sunday January 13th
Where? Amazon.com Click Here for a direct link
Be sure to grab a copy and enjoy!
-----------------------------------
~ in the book world, word of mouth is king ~
If you like what you've read here, please tell your friends.
To purchase Exiled, option the movie rights, hire me as a writer for the next Blade Runner film, the next Star Wars film...any film! For updates on the soon-to-be-released novella(pictured below), book 2 updates, for videos, fan art, contests and more awesomeness, visit my website (click on the website tab)
~ in the book world, word of mouth is king ~
If you like what you've read here, please tell your friends.
To purchase Exiled, option the movie rights, hire me as a writer for the next Blade Runner film, the next Star Wars film...any film! For updates on the soon-to-be-released novella(pictured below), book 2 updates, for videos, fan art, contests and more awesomeness, visit my website (click on the website tab)
New from J.R. Wagner...
A tale of perseverance, strength and redemption.
Coming soon.
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Music with a Message VII: Nobody Ever Told you, Carrie Underwood
This is the seventh song in my Music with a Message series. Music for teens that was released within the past five years and has a positive, uplifting, self-esteem boosting theme.
Song: Nobody Ever Told You
Artist: Carrie Underwood
Album: Blown Away
"Nobody Ever Told You"
Take off all the makeup, girl
Shine your light, show the world
Don’t be shy, don’t be scared
You don’t have to hide under there
Let’s throw away all the magazines
Turn off the static on the TV
Wish you could see yourself the way I do
[Chorus:]
Nobody ever told you
Nobody ever told you
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like gold
And you need to know
What nobody ever told you
Yeah
La la la la la
Mirror mirror on the wall
Acting like it knows it all
Tells you lies of vanity
It doesn't care what's underneath
All hung up on the negative
Doesn’t have to be the way it is
Wish you could see yourself the way I do
[Chorus:]
Nobody ever told you
Yeah, nobody ever told you
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like gold
And you need to know
What nobody ever told you
Na na na na...
[Bridge:]
Free as a bird up on a wire
Just like a flower growing wild
You’re beautiful, you’re beautiful
[Chorus:]
Nobody ever told you,
Yeah, nobody ever told you
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like gold
And you need to know
What nobody ever told you
[Outro:]
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like gold
You need to know
What nobody ever told you
Na na na na...
Oh, you're free as a bird up on a wire, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Just like a flower growin' wild
Just like a flower growin' wild
Na na na na...
Shine your light, show the world
Don’t be shy, don’t be scared
You don’t have to hide under there
Let’s throw away all the magazines
Turn off the static on the TV
Wish you could see yourself the way I do
[Chorus:]
Nobody ever told you
Nobody ever told you
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like gold
And you need to know
What nobody ever told you
Yeah
La la la la la
Mirror mirror on the wall
Acting like it knows it all
Tells you lies of vanity
It doesn't care what's underneath
All hung up on the negative
Doesn’t have to be the way it is
Wish you could see yourself the way I do
[Chorus:]
Nobody ever told you
Yeah, nobody ever told you
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like gold
And you need to know
What nobody ever told you
Na na na na...
[Bridge:]
Free as a bird up on a wire
Just like a flower growing wild
You’re beautiful, you’re beautiful
[Chorus:]
Nobody ever told you,
Yeah, nobody ever told you
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like gold
And you need to know
What nobody ever told you
[Outro:]
You shine like a diamond
Glitter like gold
You need to know
What nobody ever told you
Na na na na...
Oh, you're free as a bird up on a wire, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Just like a flower growin' wild
Just like a flower growin' wild
Na na na na...
Don't forget to check out the other music with a message posts.
-----------------------------------
To purchase Exiled, option the movie rights, hire me as a writer for the next Blade Runner film, the next Star Wars film...any film! For updates on the soon-to-be-released novella(pictured below), book 2 updates, for videos, fan art, contests and more awesomeness, visit my website (click on the website tab)
To purchase Exiled, option the movie rights, hire me as a writer for the next Blade Runner film, the next Star Wars film...any film! For updates on the soon-to-be-released novella(pictured below), book 2 updates, for videos, fan art, contests and more awesomeness, visit my website (click on the website tab)
New from J.R. Wagner...
A tale of perseverance, strength and redemption.
Coming soon.
In bookstores now
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Panacea -chapter 8
by J.R. Wagner
I strongly recommend reading chapters 1-7 before continuing
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Pushing through the hordes of people moving in the opposite direction, I jumped/rolled over the turnstyle (What? did you think I was Trinity from The Matrix?) and managed to fall flat on my back, knocking the wind out of me. Several kind folks actually stepped on me an not one effing person bothered to stop and see if I was all right.
By the time I got to my feet, the crowds of people had thinned and I was able to make my way to the elevators. I pushed the button and waited for a moment. Several more boom's sent me ducking for cover and I finally realized the elevator power, along with the power to the rest of the building was not working.
I moved to the stairs and quickly opened the fire door. Emergency backup lighting was flickering eerily as I conquered the first set of steps. I read the placard outside the second floor door looking for Tessa's father's name. No-go. Up another flight of stairs. And another...and another.
By the time I reached the fifth floor, I felt as if my chest were going to implode -that is, if my lungs didn't shrivel up and die first. I bent over, hands on knees to catch my breath and stop my head from spinning enough so I could read the sign when the door swung open hitting me square in the ass and propelling me forward into the railing.
I turned around ready, for the first time in my life, to inflict some sort of physical harm upon the person who'd opened the door. A man dressed all in black (Just like the guys at Tessa's house) was on all fours and looked to be in extreme pain. He looked up at me for a second before barfing on the steps.
I realized it was the act of a coward to kick a man when he's down but I couldn't help myself. I gave him a good kick in the gut (it actually hurt my foot...a little) sending him onto his side. Before he could react, I slipped through the door.
Fortunately, I had some momentum as I moved through because I ran smack into another man in black and he happened to be restraining the girl I was looking for. Tessa. The man fell off balance and lost his grip on Tessa's arm, which was bent at an awkward angle behind her back. Tessa didn't waste any time gripping the shotgun he was holding (her shotgun) and kicking him in the crotch. He instantly fell to his knees gripping his family jewels and screaming in pain, which didn't last long because Tessa knocked him out cold with the butt of her gun.
My mouth hung open as I watched her remove a pistol from his holster. I'd never seen that kind of violence in person before and certainly never dished out by a high school girl. Frankly, she scared me. Reason #468 why women rule the world. They'll kick your ass just after smiling at your face and not think twice about it.
She stuffed the pistol in her waist band, looked at me, then did a double take.
"Seriously?" she said, rolling her eyes.
"What?" I asked.
She didn't answer, just turned and ran down the hall.
"I just saved you you ungrateful b..."
She opened the last door at the end of the hall and was gone before I could finish. I ran after her (It was more like a fast walk, but given a fitness handicap, for me, it's a run.) and stopped outside the door.
 |
| Image credit: Vinícius Carvalho |
I strongly recommend reading chapters 1-7 before continuing
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Pushing through the hordes of people moving in the opposite direction, I jumped/rolled over the turnstyle (What? did you think I was Trinity from The Matrix?) and managed to fall flat on my back, knocking the wind out of me. Several kind folks actually stepped on me an not one effing person bothered to stop and see if I was all right.
By the time I got to my feet, the crowds of people had thinned and I was able to make my way to the elevators. I pushed the button and waited for a moment. Several more boom's sent me ducking for cover and I finally realized the elevator power, along with the power to the rest of the building was not working.
I moved to the stairs and quickly opened the fire door. Emergency backup lighting was flickering eerily as I conquered the first set of steps. I read the placard outside the second floor door looking for Tessa's father's name. No-go. Up another flight of stairs. And another...and another.
By the time I reached the fifth floor, I felt as if my chest were going to implode -that is, if my lungs didn't shrivel up and die first. I bent over, hands on knees to catch my breath and stop my head from spinning enough so I could read the sign when the door swung open hitting me square in the ass and propelling me forward into the railing.
I turned around ready, for the first time in my life, to inflict some sort of physical harm upon the person who'd opened the door. A man dressed all in black (Just like the guys at Tessa's house) was on all fours and looked to be in extreme pain. He looked up at me for a second before barfing on the steps.
I realized it was the act of a coward to kick a man when he's down but I couldn't help myself. I gave him a good kick in the gut (it actually hurt my foot...a little) sending him onto his side. Before he could react, I slipped through the door.
Fortunately, I had some momentum as I moved through because I ran smack into another man in black and he happened to be restraining the girl I was looking for. Tessa. The man fell off balance and lost his grip on Tessa's arm, which was bent at an awkward angle behind her back. Tessa didn't waste any time gripping the shotgun he was holding (her shotgun) and kicking him in the crotch. He instantly fell to his knees gripping his family jewels and screaming in pain, which didn't last long because Tessa knocked him out cold with the butt of her gun.
My mouth hung open as I watched her remove a pistol from his holster. I'd never seen that kind of violence in person before and certainly never dished out by a high school girl. Frankly, she scared me. Reason #468 why women rule the world. They'll kick your ass just after smiling at your face and not think twice about it.
She stuffed the pistol in her waist band, looked at me, then did a double take.
"Seriously?" she said, rolling her eyes.
"What?" I asked.
She didn't answer, just turned and ran down the hall.
"I just saved you you ungrateful b..."
She opened the last door at the end of the hall and was gone before I could finish. I ran after her (It was more like a fast walk, but given a fitness handicap, for me, it's a run.) and stopped outside the door.
Great. More stairs.
I followed. Inside was a long door-less hallway with another one of those seizure inducing lights at the far end. I could see Tessa stop at the far end of the hall. She then started climbing up the wall...like Spiderman. At that point I was certain the lack of oxygen to my brain was causing hallucinations.
I trotted after her calling her name a few times -no, she didn't answer, just kept climbing. A loud noise that got louder as I moved closer to Spiderwoman seemed to be coming from above. When I finally reached the end of the hall, I realized she didn't have super powers. A ladder bolted to the wall extended up to an open hatch where I could see Tessa's feet vanish.
I cursed and climbed. The noise just got louder -so loud that the ladder was vibrating. When I got about half-way up, I finally realized what it was. A helicopter. I pulled and pushed myself up to the top, cursing every fast-food restaurant that added to my excessive weight and clogged arteries as I climbed.
When I cleared the hatch (and the big metal air conditioning unit that was blocking my view) I saw not one but three helicopters hovering above the roof. They quickly moved away leaving silence and dust in their wake.
 |
| Sort of like this (click for credit link) |
I spotted Tessa kneeling on a man in black's chest and punching him repeatedly in the face.
This couldn't end well.
The story continues...
-----------------------------------
To purchase Exiled, option the movie rights, hire me as a writer for the next Blade Runner film, the next Star Wars film...any film! For updates on the soon-to-be-released novella(pictured below), book 2 updates, for videos, fan art, contests and more awesomeness, visit my website (click on the website tab)
To purchase Exiled, option the movie rights, hire me as a writer for the next Blade Runner film, the next Star Wars film...any film! For updates on the soon-to-be-released novella(pictured below), book 2 updates, for videos, fan art, contests and more awesomeness, visit my website (click on the website tab)
New from J.R. Wagner...
A tale of perseverance, strength and redemption.
Coming soon.
In bookstores now
Friday, January 4, 2013
Keeping up with the ever-changing publishing world
by J.R. Wagner
Whether you're an author, reader, librarian, publisher, editor, human, android or alien, most of us have seen or heard of the changes happening with the book publishing industry. Ebooks are a game changer for publishers and writers alike.
Much like the music industry, the publishing industry is powerless to fight against the digital age. While several years behind, the publishing industry is going through the same growing pains the music industry fought through.
Nearly every day, I see things in the news, on blogs and on the internet about the future of the publishing industry. There is one source in particular that was surprising at first because I wasn't expecting to hear about it on the radio. The first time I heard a story about the future of digital publishing on NPR, I thought perhaps it would be the last. I was wrong.
NPR, for those of you who don't know, stands for National Public Radio.
They have a page dedicated to books alone, which in this age for a radio station, is a hard thing to come by. Check it out.
Here are a handful of great stories on the future of the publishing industry, the future of libraries and the future of physical books themselves; all from NPR. The great thing about them coming from a radio station: you can listen to or read the stories!
To find more great articles about the industry, E-Books or most things book related, visit their website, npr.org/books
 |
| click for original photo source |
Whether you're an author, reader, librarian, publisher, editor, human, android or alien, most of us have seen or heard of the changes happening with the book publishing industry. Ebooks are a game changer for publishers and writers alike.
Much like the music industry, the publishing industry is powerless to fight against the digital age. While several years behind, the publishing industry is going through the same growing pains the music industry fought through.
Nearly every day, I see things in the news, on blogs and on the internet about the future of the publishing industry. There is one source in particular that was surprising at first because I wasn't expecting to hear about it on the radio. The first time I heard a story about the future of digital publishing on NPR, I thought perhaps it would be the last. I was wrong.
NPR, for those of you who don't know, stands for National Public Radio.
They have a page dedicated to books alone, which in this age for a radio station, is a hard thing to come by. Check it out.
Here are a handful of great stories on the future of the publishing industry, the future of libraries and the future of physical books themselves; all from NPR. The great thing about them coming from a radio station: you can listen to or read the stories!
Libraries Grapple With The Downside Of E-Books
E-Books Destroying Traditional Publishing? The Story's Not That Simple
No More E-Books Vs. Print Books Arguments, OK?
Will Your Children Inherit Your E-Books?
At Last, They See: E-Books 'Democratize' Publishing
In The E-Book World, Are Book Covers A Dying Art?
To find more great articles about the industry, E-Books or most things book related, visit their website, npr.org/books
-----------------------------------
To purchase Exiled, option the movie rights, hire me as a writer for the next Blade Runner film, the next Star Wars film...any film! For updates on the soon-to-be-released novella(pictured below), book 2 updates, for videos, fan art, contests and more awesomeness, visit my website (click on the website tab)
To purchase Exiled, option the movie rights, hire me as a writer for the next Blade Runner film, the next Star Wars film...any film! For updates on the soon-to-be-released novella(pictured below), book 2 updates, for videos, fan art, contests and more awesomeness, visit my website (click on the website tab)
New from J.R. Wagner...
A tale of perseverance, strength and redemption.
Coming soon.
In bookstores now
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Movie Thoughts: The Dark Knight Rises
By J.R. Wagner
This is a collection of my thoughts about The Dark Knight Rises. It is not a review. It is loaded with spoilers so if you haven't seen the film and have any intention of seeing the film I suggest not continuing.
The movie opens with a bunch of men on an airplane. There are several captive men with hoods over their faces so I knew immediately that Bane was one of them. Big shocker.
What I wasn't expecting was that ridiculous sound to come out of his mouth (mask). Immediately, I thought of the Pixar film, Up. If you aren't familiar with the film, all the dogs wear collars that allow them to speak. The lead bad-dog is a doberman. He's big and very tough looking but has a high, girly voice.
Below I have two video clips. One from Up and one from The Dark Knight Rises.
25 seconds in
11 seconds in
Throughout the movie we have to listen to that. Am I setting the tone for the film?
The premise of the movie is that Bane comes to Gotham to get his hands on Wayne Enterprise's nuclear fision reactor and, with the push of a few buttons, turns it into an atomic bomb that he then uses to hold the entire city hostage.
Sounds plausible, right? I mean, it must be easy to turn a reactor for a power plant into a bomb, right? And they're always portable aren't they? Why make something that...I don't know...WOULDN'T fit inside a TRUCK?
Another brilliant aspect to this entire premise is the fact that only the folks at Wayne Enterprise know where this reactor is located. I seem to recall an agency that regulates these kinds of things and MAY have liked to know about Wayne's reactor. Oh well...it's Gotham, right?
So Alpha, I mean Bane somehow manages to pull off this ridiculous plan, convinces Gotham to turn against their civil servants while simultaneously trapping nearly all of the Gotham police force underground. Because it's always a good idea to send every cop you have into the sewers on a search and rescue mission.
And then there is Bruce Wayne. Played once again by one of my least favorite actors, Christian Bale. Batman/Wayne gets into a fight with Bane that ends poorly for the billionaire. In typical Hollywood fashion, Bane snaps Wayne's back over his knee (yep, that's possible) rendering him immobile. Then takes him to a special prison somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa (did I mention there is less than a month before the bomb explodes automatically) where he is left to die.
Miraculously! Wayne recovers from this spinal injury WITHOUT the help of doctors by hanging himself from a rope (brilliant!). Once healed, he has to get himself into good enough shape to climb out of the pit (special prison), which requires days...perhaps weeks of intense training (remember the bomb? less than 30 days). Amazingly, Wayne gets into shape, climbs up the pit but falls and the only thing to catch him is a rope tied around his waist...but falling from 60 feet to a dead stop from a rope tied around your waist wouldn't damage your spine would it? Nah.
Again he trains (30 days til boom) and again he tries to climb and again he falls. (no luck, this guy). Finally he makes it out (because he's batman) and where is he? Sub-Saharan Africa...in the middle of nowhere. Yet somehow he manages to find transportation back to Gotham (all before the bomb explodes). No suspending reality there, right?
Back in Gotham...
A small band of rebels is trying to supplant the rule of Bane by disabling the bomb yet they are thwarted at every turn. Eventually, when all seems lost. When time is ticking down on the bomb. When the end is near, who shows up? You guessed it! Batman (Oh yeah, Catwoman too).
Together they fight to turn off the bomb but alas, their efforts fail and Batman must fly his Bat plane (I think Christopher Nolan borrowed the design from the guys who made The Matrix.) with the bomb attached by a cable as far away from Gotham as possible (at this point, I think there are about 30 seconds left on the clock.
So the noble Bruce Wayne takes his bat-plane out to see with the bomb attached where it explodes saving the city!
Wait...there is one small problem. Ain't no way the bomb was far enough away to not create a nuclear fallout that would take millions of lives. Six miles may be the minimum safe distance from the blast, but the fallout MSD is much, much further (30 miles) (look at these military videos if you don't believe me!)
So the audience thinks Batman is dead (and I was hoping). A small side note, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a cop. Nolan makes it obvious that he will have a part in the future and I was okay with the idea of his character taking up the Batman mantle because Bruce is dead.
BUT
He isn't dead!
And the cop's real name: Robin
Robin?? Really.
The franchise has jumped the shark...again
This is a collection of my thoughts about The Dark Knight Rises. It is not a review. It is loaded with spoilers so if you haven't seen the film and have any intention of seeing the film I suggest not continuing.
The movie opens with a bunch of men on an airplane. There are several captive men with hoods over their faces so I knew immediately that Bane was one of them. Big shocker.
 |
| Bane |
 |
| Alpha, the Doberman from 'Up' |
Below I have two video clips. One from Up and one from The Dark Knight Rises.
25 seconds in
11 seconds in
Throughout the movie we have to listen to that. Am I setting the tone for the film?
The premise of the movie is that Bane comes to Gotham to get his hands on Wayne Enterprise's nuclear fision reactor and, with the push of a few buttons, turns it into an atomic bomb that he then uses to hold the entire city hostage.
Sounds plausible, right? I mean, it must be easy to turn a reactor for a power plant into a bomb, right? And they're always portable aren't they? Why make something that...I don't know...WOULDN'T fit inside a TRUCK?
Another brilliant aspect to this entire premise is the fact that only the folks at Wayne Enterprise know where this reactor is located. I seem to recall an agency that regulates these kinds of things and MAY have liked to know about Wayne's reactor. Oh well...it's Gotham, right?So Alpha, I mean Bane somehow manages to pull off this ridiculous plan, convinces Gotham to turn against their civil servants while simultaneously trapping nearly all of the Gotham police force underground. Because it's always a good idea to send every cop you have into the sewers on a search and rescue mission.
And then there is Bruce Wayne. Played once again by one of my least favorite actors, Christian Bale. Batman/Wayne gets into a fight with Bane that ends poorly for the billionaire. In typical Hollywood fashion, Bane snaps Wayne's back over his knee (yep, that's possible) rendering him immobile. Then takes him to a special prison somewhere in sub-Saharan Africa (did I mention there is less than a month before the bomb explodes automatically) where he is left to die.Miraculously! Wayne recovers from this spinal injury WITHOUT the help of doctors by hanging himself from a rope (brilliant!). Once healed, he has to get himself into good enough shape to climb out of the pit (special prison), which requires days...perhaps weeks of intense training (remember the bomb? less than 30 days). Amazingly, Wayne gets into shape, climbs up the pit but falls and the only thing to catch him is a rope tied around his waist...but falling from 60 feet to a dead stop from a rope tied around your waist wouldn't damage your spine would it? Nah.
Again he trains (30 days til boom) and again he tries to climb and again he falls. (no luck, this guy). Finally he makes it out (because he's batman) and where is he? Sub-Saharan Africa...in the middle of nowhere. Yet somehow he manages to find transportation back to Gotham (all before the bomb explodes). No suspending reality there, right?
Back in Gotham...
A small band of rebels is trying to supplant the rule of Bane by disabling the bomb yet they are thwarted at every turn. Eventually, when all seems lost. When time is ticking down on the bomb. When the end is near, who shows up? You guessed it! Batman (Oh yeah, Catwoman too).
Together they fight to turn off the bomb but alas, their efforts fail and Batman must fly his Bat plane (I think Christopher Nolan borrowed the design from the guys who made The Matrix.) with the bomb attached by a cable as far away from Gotham as possible (at this point, I think there are about 30 seconds left on the clock.
 |
| Go Wayne! |
So the audience thinks Batman is dead (and I was hoping). A small side note, Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays a cop. Nolan makes it obvious that he will have a part in the future and I was okay with the idea of his character taking up the Batman mantle because Bruce is dead.
BUT
He isn't dead!
And the cop's real name: Robin
Robin?? Really.
The franchise has jumped the shark...again
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