tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-67526942024-03-13T01:54:54.906-04:00Electric WellNerding Out On Books and Geek CultureAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.comBlogger288125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-23881803445643018682015-08-19T09:00:00.000-04:002015-08-19T09:00:00.089-04:00Frankenstein Vs. The Titans! FREE! August 19th to August 23rd!I was talking to a friend about passing along a free copy of Frankenstein Vs. the Titans, and realized I had done nearly nothing to promote my lovely title for over a year.<br />
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So today, August 19th, through Sunday, August 23rd! <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVMKI7K">Frankenstein Vs. The Titans</a></b>, a two color, gonzo-urban-fantasy-buddy-cop novel, is free! Like a bird! On Amazon. To all of my friends, and their friends, and the readership of <a href="http://www.sfsignal.com/">sfsignal</a> if they publish the link in their weekly free fiction blog post.<br />
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Frankenstein's monster fights supernatural threats with his mortal partner! </blockquote>
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Theo Frankenstein's father refused to give him a name. So Theo made one out of his biographer's most famous work. Audrey Sefton had no clue that his new posting as a detective in special services would mean policing monsters. And he's not sure that he likes keeping it classified. Westhoeven is a small Midwestern city, and a reservation where the U.S. government has secretly located all manner of supernatural entities. Today, something has started killing wizards, threatening to ignite a war between wizards and monsters. Today, Theo must break in his new mortal partner, find out what his monstrous girlfriend is hiding from him, and solve the mystery for his backers in The Agency. Or Westhoeven may get stomped flat.</blockquote>
If you don't have a Kindle reader, you can download the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000493771">Kindle Reader App</a> for tablets, smartphones and computers.<br />
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I did a limited freelease for the launch of <b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVMKI7K">Frankenstein Vs. The Titans</a> </b>in March of 2014, for friends and family, because wider freelease hadn't previously done anything for sales... but neither does NO PROMOTION! So, spread this around if you read the first couple of pages and like it. One of these tiny bumps in sales will launch me right over that shaaaaaark...<br />
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If you do pass my links along, I will sign your head. If you want. Not forcibly, or anything like that.<br />
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I respectfully ask that if you have any feelings about it one way or the other, you review it on Amazon. KTHX.<br />
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And, of course, you can always find news about my endeavors:<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/LawrenceKapture">Facebook Author Page</a> (like this so that I can see stats about visitors...)<br />
<a href="http://amazon.com/author/lawrencekapture">Amazon Author Page</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/LawrenceKapture">Following me on Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5366574.Lawrence_Kapture">Good Reads Author Page</a> </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-48434284852548158912015-07-03T09:04:00.000-04:002015-07-03T11:10:50.443-04:00<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
I like to think I value love, not marriage, but it's amazing how strongly I feel that marriage is a basic human right. Amazing to me only because those feelings contradict my internal logic (I value love, not marriage). The feeling that marriage is a basic human right shouldn't be amazing to most people in our culture, which fetishizes marriage as the ultimate bond, the end of every rom-com, the authentication of adulthood. Books, films, music, the news, the pulpit, politicians are all relentlessly positive about the value of marriage. Which must be where I got that feeling about marriage being a right. From the very thorough conditioning of my culture, through all of its media filling up the cracks of my neurobiology. Our culture values marriage, and the institution of marriage outfits individuals with dignity.</div>
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Heterosexual individuals.</div>
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Our culture also values equality, <span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">fetishizes</span> equality. In much the same way, but not to the same degree. Obviously, because the American ideal of equality did not include marriage, until June 26th of 2015. It was not extended to same sex couples, not "out of animus" as a couple of conservative legal commentators said on a podcast I was, coincidentally, listening to the morning before the morning of the ruling (animus basically means malicious intent), but because gay people cannot procreate. The procreation argument is entirely fallacious, being that marriage is regularly granted to child free and infertile couples, and that marriage forms adoptive families like my own. Only malicious intent could support it. Malicious intent, or the very thorough emotional (and specifically religious) conditioning that marriage is a heterosexual institution.</div>
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And equality is dignity, in that you allow basic esteem to an individual by granting them rights the same treatment their neighbor gets. The right has often confused this issue by calling it "special rights," but it really is a basic right: non-procreative gay men and women look at their non-procreative heterosexual neighbors, and realize that their culture will not afford the dignity of fetishizing, cosseting and cooing over, or ceding rights to, a gay marriage. Gay people are resilient. They have their lovely parties, and lovely, lovely relationships. But they go in to work the next day, or the day after their honeymoon, and realize that their cubical neighbors and employers don't see those relationships as equal because they won't grant them the same rights. Heterosexuals voted against that marriage equality in state elections, refused to extend benefits at work, denigrated same sex marriage in books, films, music, the news, politics, and most especially, most thoroughly, from the pulpit.</div>
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Our western, U.S. culture, adoring the concepts of marriage and equality, wouldn't grant either of these things to Gay, Lesbian, or (depending on their situation) Trans people.</div>
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Until June 26th, 2015.</div>
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And now they can't take that dignity away. Our government has worked, protected a minority, extended a right, and a dignity. It makes me happy, proud to be homo sapiens and an American, and content. I know there's other things to be fixed, but I think I would like to be happy about this for a little while.</div>
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The feelings that I was left with the morning of June 26th, at 10 AM, were mixed. There was honest shock. <span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">I never expected to see Marriage Equality in my lifetime because people are deeply bigoted. Because twenty years ago, when I was hanging out with an old hippy, she had mentioned that she expected to see revolutionary change twenty years previously. This grant of dignity has been a long time coming. I feel a little disoriented, like I live in a whole new world. In a practical sense, that is hyperbole. In a legal sense, that is very true. There is some anger about this dignity being withheld for so long. Even paranoia, that the conservatives will lash out in anger, that I would run into angry people on the street. That attacks on my Queer friends would increase (which has absolutely happened). There's some regret that many minorities still have a great number of challenges to face. There's some shame that I can't claim full ownership over gay marriage because I am bisexual, and benefit from the assumption of heterosexuality.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">And of course, dignity granted by the state doesn't wash away the bitter knowledge that our culture, families, and especially our churches won't grant us that dignity.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">But mostly since then I have been happy, and content. And I think people should celebrate. People who fought for and won their dignity, and everybody else. Because that dignity granted grows the dignity of the human race. It is entirely additive. It cannot be taken away. </span>I feel like this should be a national holiday, another kind of shot heard around the world. We've done a good as a western culture in the U.S. to grant people their freedoms. But this is the most sweeping dignity we have granted. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-91144342390720327822015-04-10T11:51:00.000-04:002015-04-10T12:43:38.179-04:00<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
So, Larry Correia, an author who combines all the worst personality traits of Richard Nixon and Howard Stern, organized a ballot stuffing campaign and got two rabid homophobes (maybe more) on the Hugo slate for 2015. Why should I care? I've been to exactly one Worldcon. But it really annoys me that people who refer to a part of fandom as "affirmative action," because they think too many awards are being given to authors who are POC or queer, want to re-focus the public's eye on fandom in general. I have been looking for a concise article that is sharply worded enough to explain the situation. The Atlantic offered good coverage that eschews hyperbole but illuminates the salient issues very well. It throws in a healthy dose of optimism, of which I am usually in favor.</div>
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<a data-mce-href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/the-culture-wars-come-to-sci-fi/390012/" href="http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/the-culture-wars-come-to-sci-fi/390012/" shape="rect" style="border: 0px; color: #047ac6; line-height: 1.428571em; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" target="_blank">http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2015/04/the-culture-wars-come-to-sci-fi/390012/</a></div>
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I like the Slate article too, as a more-authoritative-than-me explanation as to why the Sad Puppies are narrow minded and regressive.</div>
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<a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/04/08/_2015_hugo_awards_how_the_sad_and_rabid_puppies_took_over_the_sci_fi_nominations.html">http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2015/04/08/_2015_hugo_awards_how_the_sad_and_rabid_puppies_took_over_the_sci_fi_nominations.html</a></div>
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Author N.K. Jemisin has a good (older) post about why this kind of behavior in fandom is especially smelly, because inertia is blocking authors who are queer or POC from fully participating in fandoms that they love, too. I like this post because it guest stars the nasty behavior of one of the right wing nominees.</div>
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<a href="http://io9.com/fantasy-writer-n-k-jemisin-explains-why-theres-more-ra-1586220859">http://io9.com/fantasy-writer-n-k-jemisin-explains-why-theres-more-ra-1586220859</a></div>
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There are subtleties to the specifics, but Correia is working very hard to monkey wrench a process in the name of a convoluted ideological purity (ie: Speculative-Fiction-Awards-Should-Not-Be-Given-to-Message-Fiction-Especially-Not-SJW-Message-Fiction). His nose is out of joint because he has been snubbed by people he doesn't like, and he has pointed his fans in the direction of the Hugo to fuck things up. He's very entertained by the mess he's made, gloating about what a mean guy he is (<i>but SJWs were mean first</i>). Larry Correia essentially brought in a bunch of carpet baggers, whipping up fear and paranoia about the "direction" of science fiction and the Hugos (cause there can be only one, and it is his, apparently.)</div>
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Larry Correia claims not to be a racist or a homophobe. So be it. You usually can't point out aiding-and-abetting without liminal bigots appealing to guilt by association. But people who go around kicking over other people's setups are harassers. Plainer language may be more damning.</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-69875740542838705212014-06-02T22:39:00.001-04:002015-08-18T15:03:42.897-04:00<div style="border: 0px; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 13.63636302947998px; line-height: 19.9999942779541px; margin-bottom: 0.714285em; padding: 0px;">
I dislike bullshit, in the Frankfurtian definition of language designed to impress rather than communicate. It is circularly meaningless, relying on it's own assumptions to give it weight.</div>
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Kevin D. Williamson, a writer for the National Review, scribbled an editorial for The Chicago Sun Times. I won't link to it. It's inflammatory bullshit designed to draw clicks, and I've already given them too many. The editorial is entitled "Laverne Cox Is Not a Woman." The title sums up the attitude, intent and failure.</div>
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In order to try and make his opinion a fact, Williamson describes gender as "a very primitive understanding of reality, namely the sympathetic magic described by James George Frazer in The Golden Bough." Sympathetic magic is the idea that one thing becomes more like another thing because it resembles that thing.</div>
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There is no quality of gender that is not completely an affectation, that can't be superimposed from one gender to another. Every facet or expression of Williamson's masculine gender identity, or his presumably heternormative partners' femininity, can be completely and thoroughly copied by members of either sex. All of gender is sympathetic magic.</div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">B</span><span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">ullshit imitates information. Williamson<span style="line-height: 1.428571em;"> closes by saying: “I have little or no desire to police how Cox or any other man or woman conducts his or her personal life.”</span></span></div>
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However, he still needs to express a largely irrelevant opinion. To deny having authority while at the same time trying to assert authority <span style="line-height: 1.428571em;">is indicative of nothing except the author's belief he has authority where none exist. Like a prophet of one of the "old testament mystery cults" he references.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-48783553680173694422014-02-28T18:00:00.000-05:002015-08-18T14:37:41.396-04:00Frankenstein Vs. The Titans FREE-LEASE tomorrow, March 1st<b>Frankenstein Vs. The Titans</b>, a two color, gonzo-urban-fantasy-buddy-cop novel, will be released for free for one day, MARCH 1ST, 2014.<br />
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I respectfully ask that if you have any feelings about it one way or the other, you review it on Amazon. KTHX.<br />
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Theo Frankenstein's father refused to give him a name. So Theo made one out of his accidental biographer's most famous work. Audrey Sefton had no clue that his new posting as a detective in special services would mean policing monsters. And he's not sure that he likes keeping it classified. Westhoeven is a small Midwestern city, and a reservation where the U.S. government has secretly located all manner of supernatural entities. Today, something has started killing wizards, threatening to ignite a war between wizards and monsters. Today, Theo must break in his new mortal partner, find out what his monstrous girlfriend is hiding from him, and solve the mystery for his backers in The Agency. Or Westhoeven may get stomped flat.<br />
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This is a SUPER-SEKRIT free-lease, largely because nobody but you guys even knows who I am. (I know, right?) I am going to make it free for Kindle to all comers. If you don't have a Kindle reader, you can download the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html?docId=1000493771">Kindle Reader App</a> for tablets, smartphones and computers.<br />
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In order to make it go free, I took it down from Smashwords FEBRUARY 15TH, 2014, which includes all other stores, including: Apple, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, PageFoundry, and the Diesel eBook Store.<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/LawrenceKapture">Facebook Author Page</a><br />
<a href="http://amazon.com/author/lawrencekapture">Amazon Author Page</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/LawrenceKapture">Following me on Twitter</a><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5366574.Lawrence_Kapture">Good Reads Author Page</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-17799973100846161402014-01-27T18:00:00.000-05:002014-01-27T18:00:03.229-05:00Pulp Fiction Is Driven By Plot. Literary Fiction is Driven By Verisimilitude.<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX181762085" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-We9s90Gt_7pAdFi6iIhxDPV0kw6e_PlodhLYrn_f3fT9xiXvm2j5T7X2zEX1CPo4fO4gsa_WKgSKd8nT2hccOz0iDSn_Vd196979OznBlTaUs1dHoTCb0oNBRkVscAu123Qq/s1600/FvstheT_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-We9s90Gt_7pAdFi6iIhxDPV0kw6e_PlodhLYrn_f3fT9xiXvm2j5T7X2zEX1CPo4fO4gsa_WKgSKd8nT2hccOz0iDSn_Vd196979OznBlTaUs1dHoTCb0oNBRkVscAu123Qq/s200/FvstheT_Cover.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">A couple of times in the last </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">year</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> I've had conversations about verisimilitude in fiction. During one conversation, in </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">my </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">crit</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ique</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> group, a friend </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">tal</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">k</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ed</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> about</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">a theory </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">of fiction </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">that he'd found</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, wherein</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> t</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">he author stated that characters should have an easily identifiable problem that should be solved by the end of the book. This </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">had been </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">mentioned to me as well by </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">a</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> colleague </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">who</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> gave me an excellent critique of </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">my novel </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Rock of </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX181762085" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Aeons</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">pointed out that she didn't feel Ozzie had </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">a clear through-line</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="EOP SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Later that week</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> one of my many </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX181762085" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">readerly</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> friends</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> who rarely reads fiction mentioned that he didn't think neat story lines and tidy character goals were very realistic, because life doesn't happen like that.</span><span class="EOP SCX181762085" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Both time</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> I described a personal theory of fiction, which is the line between </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">what I see as the </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">two major forms - pulp and literature. Pulp fiction is largely driven by plot - things happen, characters resolve them. Many times pulp characters are Mary Sues</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. Mary Sues are unreasonably exceptional individuals, of one sort or another, c</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">haracte</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">r</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s with extraordinary talents a</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">nd few substantial weaknesses, just m</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">oral failings</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> that</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> are usually vices. </span><span class="EOP SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Literary fiction is driven by verisimilitude. Characters observe situations and react to them, being changed in the process.</span><span class="EOP SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">The rule </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">that a character should have a</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">n</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> easily identifiable problem</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> is necessary for pulp, but irrelevant for lit</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">erature</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, where </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">veri</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">similitude</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> is imp</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ortant. Now, although much of g</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">enre </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">fiction is pulp, genre </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and lit</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">erature</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> are not exclusive. Noire </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">fiction </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">is almost certainly lit</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">erature</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">2312</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, by Kim Stanley Robinson, is a great example of l</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">iterary </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">science fiction, driven by character interactions, with plot entirely secondary</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. And let</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s admit that lit</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">erature</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> is another genre - a taste.</span><span class="EOP SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">When I think about the kind of characters I like, the ones I go back to again and again, I think of larger than life figures that have an element of verisimilitude, a </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">problem</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> that is not easily resolved, </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">intractable</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> problems that run off the edges</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> of their story</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. An easily fixed emotional problem is not something I </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">identify with. </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> I love John Constantine, </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Dream of the Endless,</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX181762085" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Zinzi</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> from </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Zoo City</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, and every </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">self mutilating</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> character in a Tim Powers novel.</span><span class="EOP SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I like tragic character</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">who</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> can</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">t s</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">eem to do anything without accidentally (or sometimes on purpose: can’t make an omelets without breaking a few eggs) fucking over their friends. </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Those</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> kind of pulp characters seem like an operatic metaphor for middle management, frankly.</span><span class="EOP SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I like pulp and I like literature. I like </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the novels of </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Kim Stanley Robinson and Bonnie Jo Campbell because they write character driven stories, with characters whose concerns are deeply personal and small scale and present themselves gradually. I like pulp </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">fiction </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">because I want those characters to kick ass.</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Frankenstein’s monster?</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Griev</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ously</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> w</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ounded by his father, but somehow loving him just the same? </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Eight feet tall with the grace of a chimp?</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> That’s a literary character that can kick some ass.</span><span class="EOP SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">It was t</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">he monster</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">’</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s remorse </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">that </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">enabled me to project a character going forward</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; 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font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Perpetually.</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> A passionate character </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">who</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> would learn from his mistakes, and after t</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">wo </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">hundred</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; 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font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">And could kick serious ass.</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> A character </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">who</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> needed a first name, and took it from the title of the book Mary Shelley made from </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">a </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">sea captain’s letters. </span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; 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Theo</span><span class="TextRun SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> for short.</span><span class="EOP SCX181762085" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-32183614103537607542014-01-17T09:00:00.000-05:002014-01-20T12:31:45.885-05:00Frankenstein Vs. The Titans, a two color, gonzo-urban-fantasy-buddy-cop novel, is live TODAY!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-We9s90Gt_7pAdFi6iIhxDPV0kw6e_PlodhLYrn_f3fT9xiXvm2j5T7X2zEX1CPo4fO4gsa_WKgSKd8nT2hccOz0iDSn_Vd196979OznBlTaUs1dHoTCb0oNBRkVscAu123Qq/s1600/FvstheT_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-We9s90Gt_7pAdFi6iIhxDPV0kw6e_PlodhLYrn_f3fT9xiXvm2j5T7X2zEX1CPo4fO4gsa_WKgSKd8nT2hccOz0iDSn_Vd196979OznBlTaUs1dHoTCb0oNBRkVscAu123Qq/s320/FvstheT_Cover.jpg" height="320" width="200" /></a><b>Frankenstein Vs. The Titans</b>, a two color, gonzo-urban-fantasy-buddy-cop novel, is live TODAY!<br />
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Theo Frankenstein's father refused to give him a name. So Theo made one out of his accidental biographer's most famous work. Audrey Sefton had no clue that his new posting as a detective in special services would mean policing monsters. And he's not sure that he likes keeping it classified. Westhoeven is a small Midwestern city, and a reservation where the U.S. government has secretly located all manner of supernatural entities. Today, something has started killing wizards, threatening to ignite a war between wizards and monsters. Today, Theo must break in his new mortal partner, find out what his monstrous girlfriend is hiding from him, and solve the mystery for his backers in The Agency. Or Westhoeven may get stomped flat.<br />
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The beautiful cover is by Joe Haemmerle. Joe Haemmerle is a Graphic Artist living in Austin, TX who works part-time as a graphic designer for an apparel company and also as a freelance artist designing book covers, album covers, and also creating web comics. To see his personal site go to: <a href="http://www.jmhartwork.blogspot.com/">www.jmhartwork.blogspot.com</a>. To check out his comic work go to: <a href="http://www.championcitycomics.com/">www.championcitycomics.com</a>.<br />
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Buy it for Kindle, <a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HVMKI7K">here</a>.<br />
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Buy it for other e-readers <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/396334">here</a>.<br />
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Buy a hard copy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-Vs-Titans-Fists/dp/1494954435/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1389895993&sr=1-1">here</a>.<br />
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Soon to be released on: Apple, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, PageFoundry, and the Diesel eBook Store.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-77888370102681214002014-01-13T18:00:00.000-05:002014-01-13T18:00:00.877-05:00The Monster Is Not A Warning About What Science Could Do Wrong.<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX84439737" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarR5r3-phHQ_paY3GI5SQSXVDRqy63IpKESsHr15c5hDLcRX5LIwnnp2Fr1YjjAe9Hs2ciCCsUbwkQVm88SwT4i94HxENCRn3zqj1SsoYdjH9QN63J9LkiBBa-lqDR3IsNbvK/s1600/FvstheT_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiarR5r3-phHQ_paY3GI5SQSXVDRqy63IpKESsHr15c5hDLcRX5LIwnnp2Fr1YjjAe9Hs2ciCCsUbwkQVm88SwT4i94HxENCRn3zqj1SsoYdjH9QN63J9LkiBBa-lqDR3IsNbvK/s200/FvstheT_Cover.jpg" width="125" /></a><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">The pop movie figure of Frankenstein's m</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">onster, </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the creature made of disparate parts, has been with me since I was a monster</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">-</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">movie loving child.</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">W</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">hen fishing around in my head for an urban fantasy idea, he often popped up. I like the Urban Fantasy genre in the same overly literal way I like Frankenstein</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">’s monster. A</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s an </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX84439737" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">anthro</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> major and keen player of several home brew fantasy </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">role play</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ing game</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">campaigns, I like the idea of a</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">n entire </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">world inhabited by monsters. </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Of </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">entire </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">culture</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> formed by monsters.</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">W</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">e played games</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> in which monsters lived side by side with human beings: </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Gatecrasher</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, in</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX84439737" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">humnad</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX84439737" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> lived alongside elves and angels in a half magic solar </span><span class="SpellingError SCX84439737" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">systeym</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX84439737" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">, </span></span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">d20 Modern</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> which was </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Dungeons and Dragons</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">' answer to </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. And pop culture </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">has always </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">flirted with a world in which monsters </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">lived </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">alongside humans: </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Dark Shadows</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Wild, Wild West</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">But when Urban Fantasy took off for the masses, became a household </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">phenomenon</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> with vampir</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">e,</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> werewol</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">f,</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and eventually zombie</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, demon</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and faerie</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> people</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">punching a clock next to homo sapiens peoples, </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Frankenstein's monster was no-where to be found.</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">This is partially because the monster is a character, not a specie or culture. You can have lots of vampire clans or werewolf tribes duking out with each other. But the monster is pretty much a guest star.</span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">My Grandmother gave me a copy </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">of </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Frankenstein </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">for my birthday, one year. I had</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> asked for it. But I couldn't actually read it. Like </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the Lord of the Rings</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, it was </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">to</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> dry f</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">or my adolescent brain. I still</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> loved the idea of the monster, the </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX84439737" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Kar</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX84439737" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lofiann</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> creature with bolts in it</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s neck and thick sutures holding it together. I loved the idea of artificial mankind. </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Of manufactured mankind.</span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">When I</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> wa</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> thinking about doing a pulp pastoral ab</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">out</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> weird mons</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ters,</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> wanted to use </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the monster</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. So </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> finally read </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Frankenstein</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, to get the background.</span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">And the monster is a great character. The book itself is</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> difficult to read. </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">It's driven largely by a monolog</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">-</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX84439737" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">ing</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> Victor, who i</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s whiny and irritating, alternately self-aggrandizing and self-</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">flagel</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">l</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ating. It moves fitfully,</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> with</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> too much backstory on the front end, tak</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">es</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> forever to get to the conflic</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">t between monster and creator. It’s d</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">efin</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">itel</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">y </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">n</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ot one of my fav</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">orite reads</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. But </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> became really charmed by the char</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">acter</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> of </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">mons</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ter</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">First of all, he is not dumb, nor clumsy, </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">as he is </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">in the common media depiction of him. There is a scene where he first speaks to </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">his father in the mountains,</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and he is described as moving with the grace of an ape, almost swinging over the crags and precipices like an ape brachiates</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, swinging from tree to tree</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. And he's fucking brilliant. He teaches himself language, and to read, by listening to a young girl reading to her blind grandfather. He speaks as eloquently as any Shakespearian </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">character,</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and with less fumbling and mumble mouthed vacillation than his father.</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX84439737" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">F</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">rankenstein</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> is often read as a warning against misusing science</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. We must </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX84439737" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">sepulchrally</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> intone "</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">beware</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">what man was not meant to know.</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> Maybe that </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">was even the intent. </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I am n</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ot a Shell</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">e</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">y scholar. </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I d</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">on't really care. See how blithe I can be when misusing literature for my personal artistic gain?</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> But </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">frankly, I found the</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> scien</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">tific themes</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">entirely </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">e</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">condary to a modern reading.</span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">The monster is not a warning a</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">bout </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">what science c</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ould</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> do wrong. </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">The monster's worst characteristic through</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">out the novel is that he is ugly. Victor made this magnificent, brilliant, capable creature and abandoned him because he was ugly. Would any modern human being give life and then pass it up because it wasn't aesthetic enough? Not pretty?</span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Some might say that the</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> monster is monstrous because of the violence he perpetrates. I will be accused of being a </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">fuzzy thinking </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">liberal here, but he is a product of his environment and his time in that his murders are the result of his profound emotion at being unique and rejected, and his attempts to make his peace with that through negotiating with the only human being who can alleviate his suffering, his absentee father. He did not live in an age when cognitive behavioral therapy, Buddhist mindfulness, and omnipresent social connections allow us to deal with our harsh emotions in a civil fashion.</span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I think rightfully, a modern reader will see the monster is a warning against what happens when you abandon your children and your responsibilities to them. He kills Victor's brother by accident and frames </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> nanny for the crime</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> out of fear that he will be punished</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, and then murders Victor's friend</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and fiancé in revenge for his f</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ather's refusal to create a mate. None of the murders are excusable by civilized standards, but none are baseless, and all of them are motivated by a desire for justice. It's reasonable to think that if Victor had shown the monster even as much care as his 1940's film </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">dopp</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">el</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ganger</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> does, or </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">as much as</span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> Gene </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Wilder's </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX84439737" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Frankensteen</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> does his own monster, with the </span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX84439737" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">abby</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> normal brain and all, that none of the mayhem that followed the monster's awakening to consciousness would have occurred.</span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">The end of Frankenstein sealed my love for the monster, showing him a nuanced creation, a tragic hero in the mold that I enjoy characters: at his father's death, he expresses remorse and regret.</span><span class="EOP SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX84439737" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">"But it is true that I am a wretch. I have murdered the lovely and the helpless; I have strangled the innocent as they slept, and grasped to death his throat who never injured me or any other living thing. I have devoted my creator, the select specimen of all that is worthy of love and admiration among men, to misery; I have pursued him even to that irremediable ruin. There he lies, white and cold in death. You hate me; but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself. "</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-75774150583328732382014-01-06T17:00:00.000-05:002014-01-12T12:52:38.303-05:00Frankenstein's Monster Is the Greatest Character in Western Literature.<div class="OutlineElement Ltr SCX234787787" style="font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-We9s90Gt_7pAdFi6iIhxDPV0kw6e_PlodhLYrn_f3fT9xiXvm2j5T7X2zEX1CPo4fO4gsa_WKgSKd8nT2hccOz0iDSn_Vd196979OznBlTaUs1dHoTCb0oNBRkVscAu123Qq/s1600/FvstheT_Cover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-We9s90Gt_7pAdFi6iIhxDPV0kw6e_PlodhLYrn_f3fT9xiXvm2j5T7X2zEX1CPo4fO4gsa_WKgSKd8nT2hccOz0iDSn_Vd196979OznBlTaUs1dHoTCb0oNBRkVscAu123Qq/s200/FvstheT_Cover.jpg" height="200" width="125" /></a><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Let's start with cheerful hyperbole: </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I think </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">F</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">rankenstein</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">'</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="color: windowtext; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s monster might be one of the greatest characters in western literature.</span><br />
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<span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Not </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">D</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">octor</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> Frankenstein</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Victor Frankenstein is shallow and weak</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">self-involved</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> a </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">fickle narc</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">issi</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">st</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> who wallows in regret after he gets his friends </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and family </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">killed.</span><span class="EOP SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">T</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">he monster </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">holds everyone</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">'</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s attention. </span><span class="EOP SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Admittedly, this is not because </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Frankenstein </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">is well loved as a nov</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">el. The cultural love affair with the monster is</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">a </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">shallow</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> one</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, focused largely on his image in the movies</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">But also, the</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> idea of the monster is </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">fascinating</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, the conceit </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">that organic life is i</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">nteroperable</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. That a </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">c</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ientist c</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">an take a bunch of spare</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> human</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">-</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">parts</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> and </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">make a perso</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">n as easily as you can make a starship by fitting </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Legos </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">together</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="EOP SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">At it</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s root, the idea that </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">l</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">i</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">fe can b</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">e</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> manipulated satisfies insecurities about mortality and senes</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">c</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ence.</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> In this </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the novel </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Frankenstein was prescient: It is a goal of science to transplant or manufacture human organs in order to extend lifespan.</span><span class="EOP SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">But </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">there is a strong element of </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">neato</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">/</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">keen </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">embodied in the monster as well</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. What would you do if y</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ou</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> could </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">effortlessly </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">L</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ego</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX234787787" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-</span><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">ize</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> your body?</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> If you could s</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">titch on </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">cool new replacement parts?</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> Would you g</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ive yourself w</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ings?</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">A w</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">olf head?</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> It is a </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">heady</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">power </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">fantasy</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, but also artistic in it</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s own merits</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> The r</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">eligious art of the ancients often featured baroque chimera, </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">gods with </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">animal </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">heads</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> on human bodies</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">and </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lego</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> human-</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">animal daughters of the Greek Titans</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">: </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Snake bodied</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Echidna, the </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">winged lion </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Sphinx, the </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">human/bird </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Harpies</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. The idea </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="NormalTextRun SCX234787787" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">of </span><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lego</span><span class="NormalTextRun SCX234787787" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">-people </span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">has often been mined in pulp fiction, from the </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">surgically created </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">animal humans of </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">T</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">he Island of Doctor </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Moreux</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> to the h</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">orrific but humor</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ous</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">a</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">bsurdism</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> of </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">H</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">erbert </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">W</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">est:</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">R</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">eanimat</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">or</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, where</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">in</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> body parts get stuck together in bizarre combinations</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. Stories</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">about </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">the </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">genetic </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">combination</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> of humans and animals fill the same niche, from</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Jurassic Park</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> to </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Splice</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">.</span><span class="LineBreakBlob BlobObject SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="SCX234787787" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></span><span class="TextRun EmptyTextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"></span><span class="EOP SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span><br />
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<span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">This is why </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I lo</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ved the idea of</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> the</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> monster</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">, too</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">M</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">y </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">g</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">randmother gave me a copy </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">of </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Frankenstein </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">for my birthday, one year</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">. </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I had</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> asked for it. But I couldn't actually read it. </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Like the </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">L</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ord of the </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">R</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">ings</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">,</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> it was to</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">o</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> dry for my </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">a</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">dolescent brain. </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">I still loved the idea of the monster, the </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">Kar</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"><span class="SpellingError SCX234787787" style="background-image: url(data:image/gif; background-position: 0% 100%; background-repeat: repeat no-repeat; border-bottom-color: transparent; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">lofiann</span></span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US"> creature with bolts in it</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">s neck and thick sutures holding it together. I loved the idea of artificial mankind. </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Of manufactured mankind.</span><span class="EOP SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </span></div>
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<span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">But that's not the monster that made it in</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">to </span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; font-style: italic; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">Frankenstein vs. the Titans</span><span class="TextRun SCX234787787" style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" xml:lang="EN-US">.</span></div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-45418357741917614952013-12-30T18:00:00.000-05:002013-12-31T14:51:22.996-05:00Frankenstein Vs. The Titans, a two color, gonzo urban fantasy buddy cop novel, will be released on Kindle and Smashwords JANUARY 17TH, 2014.<b>Frankenstein Vs. The Titans</b>, a two color, gonzo-urban-fantasy-buddy-cop novel, will be released on Kindle and Smashwords JANUARY 17TH, 2014.<br />
<br />
Theo Frankenstein's father refused to give him a name. So Theo made one out of his accidental biographer's most famous work. Audrey Sefton had no clue that his new posting as a detective in special services would mean policing monsters. And he's not sure that he likes keeping it classified. Westhoeven is a small Midwestern city, and a reservation where the U.S. government has secretly located all manner of supernatural entities. Today, something has started killing wizards, threatening to ignite a war between wizards and monsters. Today, Theo must break in his new mortal partner, find out what his monstrous girlfriend is hiding from him, and solve the mystery for his backers in The Agency. Or Westhoeven may get stomped flat.<br />
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The nice thing about being a <strike>self</strike> independent publisher is that you get to set your own schedule. I've got an indy-clean manuscript, and I'm putting it online in January to see if I get a bump from the <i>I, Frankenstein</i>, movie release on January 24th, which I would have been geeked about even if I hadn't decided to finally put The Monster in a buddy cop novel in 2011. Frankenstein's monster in a modern <i>Paradise Los</i>t. Like <i>Pacific Rim,</i> except with the monster subbing in for Johnny Socko's robot and Angels and Demons subbing in for Monster Island.<br />
<br />
I know there' some other stuff in there, but <i>Johnny Socko Vs. Monster Island</i> is what plays in my head when I think about <i>Pacific Rim</i>.<br />
<br />
SO... Indy publisher. Set your own schedule.<br />
<br />
I will release <i>Frankenstein Vs. The Titans</i> on Kindle and Smashwords JANUARY 17TH, 2014, to be followed by releases on other stores, including: Apple, Barnes & Noble, Sony, Kobo, PageFoundry, and the Diesel eBook Store.<br />
<br />
I still don't like selling books to my friends, so I am going to FREE-LEASE <i>Frankenstein Vs. The Titans</i> FEBRUARY 14TH, 2014. This is a SUPER-SEKRIT free-lease, largely because nobody but you guys even knows who I am. (I know, right?) I am going to make it free for Kindle to all comers, publicize it on Facebook, and if you send me an email address I will send you a coupon code for an EPUB version through Smashwords. I respectfully ask that if you have any feelings about it one way or the other, you review it on Amazon. KTHX.<br />
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And then I'm going to do some other stuff to promote it, ALL YEAR, while I am writing <i>Frankenstein Vs. The Dream Eaters.</i> Any body want to write an article about me for MLIVE? Anybody?<br />
<br />
Anybody?<br />
<br />
Bueller?<br />
<br />
IN THE MEANTIME, you can help me prepare for my triumphant return to the indy-publishing scene by liking my:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.facebook.com/LawrenceKapture">Facebook Author Page</a><br />
<a href="http://amazon.com/author/lawrencekapture">Amazon Author Page</a><br />
<a href="https://twitter.com/LawrenceKapture">Following me on Twitter</a> (because I had a chance to sell my old twitter handle, and I did)<br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5366574.Lawrence_Kapture">Good Reads Author Page</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-82652131375657243652013-02-12T23:00:00.000-05:002013-02-12T23:00:04.010-05:0011 PM Book Review - Daughter of Smoke and Bone<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.984375px;">Classified as young adult fiction, Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor is a fun read for adults as well, with a charming protagonist and elegant language that sets a cynically romantic tone.</span><br />
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Karou is an art student in Prague, heartbroken because her callous seducer of a boyfriend has slept with another girl. "Loneliness is worse when you return to it after a reprieve - like the soul's version of putting on a wet bathing suit, clammy and miserable."</div>
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She isn't your average art student, though. Her hair is blue, she draws pictures of monsters, and she uses a bracelet full of tiny wishes to humiliate her ex while he is nude modelling for her class. She has a secret, you see. She lives with the monsters called Chimera, half human, half animal craftspeople who send her all over the world to buy teeth from unscrupulous traders in return for the wishes they make.</div>
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Then flame winged angels set fire to her "family's" home, and Karou is forced to flee. But not before she sees one of the angels, Akiva. And he sees her. And they are drawn to each other by passions that they both resist and a past life connection that Akiva knows will destroy her love for him.</div>
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Daughter of Smoke and Bone is an urban fantasy that tells the story of a tragic romance with wit, sweetness and colorful world building, going beyond vampires and werewolves into new territory.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-75533692695374771472012-12-18T17:30:00.000-05:002013-04-18T16:56:30.124-04:00Rough draft conquered!<br />
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I finished a rough draft of my current novel, <i>Frankenstein Vs. The Titans</i> on Saturday, December 15th. I am loosely blurbing it as:</div>
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Detective Audrey Sefton investigates a ritual sacrifice in a bombed out library. Then he nearly gets his face clawed off by a ghost in a murdered wizard's apartment. And his partner confesses at the doughnut shop: I'm that Frankenstein. The monster, not the doctor. Detective Prometheus (Theo) Frankenstein, taking his surname from his father and his first name from the novel created from poor Victor's letters. </blockquote>
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Audrey's a little shell shocked to find out that his home town, Westhoeven, IA, is a reservation where the Federal Government stashes it's spare monsters: ogres, werewolves, grey aliens, a few quarantined vampires, two Gorgons. And Theo. It's a place where creatures gather. And a mysterious new cult is making strange alliances and busting things up, all in pursuit of a catastrophic new world order.</blockquote>
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This is my 5th completed novel manuscript since... 1998? It is 345 manuscript pages, which should boil down to 215 trade paperback pages. Feels sleight for the amount of crap I packed in there. I'm calling it "Gonzo Urban Fantasy." I averaged 345 pages per writing day, and wrote on it 183 days out of approximately 690. Eeek..</div>
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Hooray for me, though! I always try to remind myself that I've gone where other writers often can't, and this is my fifth time. It is an achievement. Never the achievement you think it is. But still, a thing done.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">Assuming I started writing my first novel in '96, that's a novel every 38 months or so, not including two major false starts. I started writing </span></span><i style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">Frankenstein vs. the Titans</i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"> on January 13th, 2011. 23 months from birth to fini. 2012 has felt like my worst writing year in awhile. I finished the rough of <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Y7IT46/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007Y7IT46&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">Vignetta in the Red House</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=theelectricwe-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007Y7IT46" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i></span></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">, 703 manuscript pages (average 258 words/day), in 17 months, November 2006 to April 2008. However, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HWXIEK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006HWXIEK&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">Rock of Aeons</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=theelectricwe-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B006HWXIEK" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" /></i> took 23 months, January 2009 to November 2010, to write 310 manuscript pages. The average words is messed up because I was also keeping track of </span></span><i style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">Vignetta</i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"> rewrites in that document. During each of those stretches, I also wrote some short stories, lots of book reviews, bits of articles, rewrote </span></span><i style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">Vignetta </i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">while writing both</span></span><i style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"> Rock of Aeons</i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;"> and </span></span><i style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'Droid Sans', sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">Frankenstein vs. The Titans</i><span style="font-family: Helvetica, Arial, Droid Sans, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.983333587646484px;">, and wrote part of another novel with a writing partner who dropped it midway.</span></span></div>
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Statistics are for obsessives. <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">Only</span> Not even other writers will care for that.</div>
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It will take me a month to read through and catch obvious errors. Another couple of months of first readers and rewrites? I may be done in April, release in June. Maybe.</div>
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What next, what next? I have two chapters of a sequel to <i>Vignetta</i>, ten pages of a sequel to <i>Rock</i>. I am thinking about launching right into a <i>Frankenstein </i>sequel. I like Theo and Audrey a lot. I am thinking about turning an old series of short stories into a longish novel. I am thinking of checking the manuscript of my first novel to see if I can do a brush up and post that. I have a really unformed idea for a near future polyamory soap opera. What to do, what to do?</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-30895981985263252292012-10-25T11:54:00.000-04:002012-10-25T11:54:00.300-04:00Vignetta in the Red House available on Nook soon!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzM0bGe0ZbznJUT72lI0WxrAz1e9ileIZ4atqmnGeOXZO2GwhrUFyxdFuwI2ZW9tdmeqvHS1Vw7KFwUslhCmQc9ZyOjBk8AftbjGXtkfXjINaOxu0ZyfXSnMN6DG_6fqMhqlZ1/s1600/800px.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzM0bGe0ZbznJUT72lI0WxrAz1e9ileIZ4atqmnGeOXZO2GwhrUFyxdFuwI2ZW9tdmeqvHS1Vw7KFwUslhCmQc9ZyOjBk8AftbjGXtkfXjINaOxu0ZyfXSnMN6DG_6fqMhqlZ1/s320/800px.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
For the first time in it's storied history, <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/154697">Vignetta in the Red House</a> will start to become available on stores other than Amazon beginning today. It was first published through the Kindle Select program in May of 2012, which allowed me access to some different revenue streams through Amazon, but required that I sell only on Amazon. Unsurprisingly, for a relatively unknown hobby publisher, the benefits of Kindle Select were kind of meh. So, as of today, Vignetta in the Red House is available from <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/">Smashwords</a> for $4.99. Smashwords will made it available in mobi, epub and pdf formats, so you can read it on any e-reader. Vignetta in the Red House is still available from Amazon at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007Y7IT46/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B007Y7IT46&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">This Link</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=theelectricwe-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B007Y7IT46" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />, and in softcover from Amazon at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/?_encoding=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&field-keywords=Vignetta%20in%20the%20Red%20House&linkCode=ur2&tag=theelectricwe-20&url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks" target="_blank">This Link</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="https://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=theelectricwe-20&l=ur2&o=1" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. It should thereafter become available from most ebook retailers.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-67349873519616060632012-10-20T11:00:00.000-04:002012-10-20T11:00:04.925-04:00Rock of Aeons available on Nook soon!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hEkWiCB1Pn9yGf2zClpvY37FVIx_0MVbbUeSAsGQpK5_s-uTaxNfx_tcQYDLnzf6-eTJfgv9UZCz5l0_GeEbKaJrdMZkqlcnUy4IdtR6gUI5e_9GRN9XXlYmtPVTdTKw_Zs8/s1600/Rock-of-Aeons(500X800-for-web).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5hEkWiCB1Pn9yGf2zClpvY37FVIx_0MVbbUeSAsGQpK5_s-uTaxNfx_tcQYDLnzf6-eTJfgv9UZCz5l0_GeEbKaJrdMZkqlcnUy4IdtR6gUI5e_9GRN9XXlYmtPVTdTKw_Zs8/s320/Rock-of-Aeons(500X800-for-web).jpg" width="200" /></a>
<a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/108867">Rock of Aeons</a> will start to become available on stores other than Amazon beginning today. First published on <a href="http://www.smashwords.com/">Smashwords</a> in November of 2011, I enrolled it in the Kindle Select program in May of 2012, which allowed me access to some different revenue streams through Amazon, but required that I sell only on Amazon.
Unsurprisingly, for a relatively unknown hobby publisher, the benefits of Kindle Select were kind of meh. So, as of today, Rock of Aeons is available from Smashwords for $2.99. Smashwords will made it available in mobi,epub and pdf formats, so you can read it on any e-reader. Rock of Aeons is still available from Amazon at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006HWXIEK/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B006HWXIEK&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">This Link</a>, and in softcover from Amazon at <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1468111515/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1468111515&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">This Link</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=theelectricwe-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1468111515" style="border: currentColor !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />. It should thereafter become available from most ebook retailers.<br />
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Vignetta in the Red House will become available through other ebook retailers next Saturday.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-88071132004655491202012-10-10T23:00:00.000-04:002012-10-10T23:00:03.279-04:0011 PM Book Review: Going Solo: The Extraordinary Rise and Surprising Appeal of Living Alone, by Eric Klinenberg<div class="MsoNormal">
Going Solo is an exploration of demographic change in the western world. "In 1950, only 22 percent of American adults were single. Today, more than 50 percent of American adults are single, and 31 million—roughly one out of every seven adults—live alone."</div>
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Klinenberg interviews people who live alone because of inclination, divorce, the loss of a spouse, poverty, and old age. Taken together, their insights are powerful and an interesting reminder that although the culture at large considers the end game of life some version of the nuclear family, many people, through personality and circumstance, will live alone for chunks of their life, and almost everybody spends some time living alone.</div>
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In addition, he points out that many people find living alone a respite from a busy, 24/7 connected world. Klinenberg's conclusions are about how to mitigate the few ill effects of living alone, isolation and reclusiveness, especially in the poor and the elderly. He looks primarily at Sweden, which has retooled a great deal of its infrastructure to support people who live alone, from young adulthood to old age. Going Solo is an appealing look at and good overview of a topic that people will focus on more and more as this demographic shift deepens.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-43198242208499054462012-09-12T23:00:00.000-04:002012-09-13T09:10:00.190-04:0011 PM Book Review: Druid's Blood by Esther M. FriesnerA Holmes pastiche where Watson is the main character and gets the girl. Set in a Britain ruled by Druids, isolated from the rest of the world and technology (cold iron, bad for druids) by magic defenses. The contraption on the cover made me think it would be more "steam punk," but that's just Wells' time machine.<br />
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It took me a little while to get into the story. The author starts with a chapter that never seems to get fully explained, and then builds the rest of the novel as if it were a children's serial, one exciting Victorian hijink after another. In the nature of Victorian pastiche, the author seems to want to jam in way too many characters. A Night in Lonesome October or the first volume of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen do this more smoothly. Watson is very wishy-washy, Holmes is a huge Mary Sue. Both can be a bit wearing. The "twist" of Watson's identity is telegraphed and never truly surprising. I put it down and picked it back up several times before I finished it. It's an okay read if you are a Friesner completist, a huge face of Victorian pastiche, or only have Clive Cussler books to read otherwise.<br />
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Frankly, that first chapter, which seems to hint that the Holmes character actually took his identity from Watson's stories about him, is the bit I would have liked to see developed the most. I particularly liked her hint of this alternate America. "Dons from the great western outposts, Mynheers from the eastern trading centers, voyageurs from the south, redmen of the Seven Nations, and a sprinkling of joy seeking Turks and Venetians from Florida thrown in... No matter their many different races and governments, the Americans all took their theater seriously."Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-22712090939647840222012-09-05T23:00:00.000-04:002012-09-05T23:00:03.779-04:0011 PM Book Review: Havemercy by Jaida Jones<span class="readable reviewText"><span id="freeTextreview88023637">Fun soap opera about four characters caught in the endgame of a magical war. <br /><br />Titled
for a character's flying mechanical dragon, the book has little to do
with the dragons, but alot to do with their riders, the "airmen". <br /><br />The
first 50 pages were a bit of a slog, but after the tension ratchets up
between two of the main characters, an airman and a sensitivity trainer
who is tasked to teach the valuable airmen manners after a diplomatic
incident, it begins to roll along. That storyline, the chaste M/M
romance between the other two viewpoint characters, and to a lesser
extent, the mechanics of the magical war itself (magical germ warfare,
guerrilla warfare, and bombing runs), kept me entertained. <br /><br />I was
mystified by the complete lack of female protagonists, the male
characters seeming to stand in for them in some cases. I didn't find the
main characters motivations convincing, but they were so sincere that I
just figured what the hell.<br /><br />A good read for anybody who likes potboilers and the new weird or m/m romance and fantasy.</span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-35523463252304040392012-08-29T23:00:00.000-04:002012-08-29T23:00:00.058-04:0011 PM Book Review: Fragment by Warren FahyI had fun with this book. It ain't litricha, but is a great potboiler with thinky science attachments. <br />
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A reality show on a boat, visiting out of the way spots, goes to previously unexplored island completely isolated from the rest of the world. In doing so, they find life that has evolved in isolation from the most primitive creatures that lived. Think Australia, except with gimungus arthropods. Said life is, of course, mostly dangerous. Do we destroy this brave new world that hath such creatures in it? Or are we doomed to be destroyed by it?<br />
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The action sequences are over the top fun, sandwiched by over the top essays about evolution (written as lectures by a character introduced to the action further in) that support the narrative and circumvent the many as-you-know-Bob moments required by a text like this. As much as I like the premise (scary-hidden-species with stupid evolution tricks), I might have passed it up if it didn't also have uber cool pictures of multiple crab monsters. Characters are a little - wooden, emo? I'm not sure. Flat. Likable but unflawed. Does anybody use the word "turkey" in a confrontation anymore? Comparisons to Crichton are not out of order, especially his less polemical science thrillers. If you found Jurassic Park to be fun, you will probably like this too.<br />
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In the near future, the dead have risen. Hauntings are common occurrences, even to the point that ghosts haunt their own corpse (as homeless zombies) or the bodies of animals, that they twist to resemble their former human forms (loup garous). Felix Castor is an exorcist for hire. Although he has been "retired" for a year and a half after botching an exorcism that left his best friend possessed by hell-kin, he needs cash and finally takes a job exorcising a ghost from a London archive. He has a hard time with the case at first, and the longer he's on it, the more he suspects he needs to solve the murder that created the ghost before he exorcises her...<br />
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This was huge fun. The secondary characters, especially the bad guys, are just fun to watch move around the page. The opening scene didn't hook me in, but it was well worth waiting for the plot to get going. Not a lot of romance, for them what likes romance in their urban fantasy. But for them what doesn't like glamour vamps, the milieu is very subdued (so far, first book), with strong human protagonists. There are no signs of fey courts or werewolf packs yet, just ghosts in various funky forms.<br />
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And it goes downhill from there, but fun downhill, like a bumpy go-cart ride. Wear a helmet. Atlanta is a high school junior in rural Pennsylvania. Shotgun Gravy is a noir crime story about bullying set in the ugliest periphery of high school culture. But: Trigger warning. Is that fair to say in pulp fiction? Atlanta is a rape survivor. It seems awful to say that a novella about a rape survivor is fun. She's a strong, nuanced character with a big real life problems: She worries that she's racist. Her mom's on welfare. She has an Adderoll addiction that helps her fend off nightmares, a "reputation" after shooting the testicles off her attacker, and a sense of justice that won't let her back down when she really probably should. It's not like she doesn't scare herself with the shit she pulls. Sure, it's escapist, but it's really glorious, too. Larger than life.</div>
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Then Atlanta takes on a commission from one of La Cozy Nostra, the high school's self proclaimed gay mafia: Scare a group of white supremacist gay-bashers into leaving him alone.</div>
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The language is crisp and beautiful, especially when the action starts, which is harsh and brutal. The characters are bent ("My Mom didn't dust, but my gun and drug dealer did"). But they could exist... in a world ruled by Quentin Tarantino and RuPaul's love child. The supporting characters: Atlanta's soon to be gay best friend, and their Venezuelan, Dungeons and Dragons playing co-conspirator, are charming in a way that you don't see in noir fiction. They are sweet-natured and unwilling to accept their victimization. The dialog is buffy-quirky. Chuck Wendig is a charming, horrific, and crackerjack writer. I read this novella in two sittings and picked up the sequel, Baitdog, the day I finished Shotgun Gravy (Which you should do, too, because the Kindle edition of Baitdog includes the Shotgun Gravy. Save yourself a buck).<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=theelectricwe-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B005VEEVXW&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=theelectricwe-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B008TT8W4A&ref=qf_sp_asin_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1&lt1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-57429371771606629872012-08-08T17:00:00.000-04:002012-08-08T17:00:05.470-04:00Do these things: Moral Absolutism for Fun and Reader's Advisory.<span style="background-color: white;">I am thinking that I should become a moral absolutist. An absolute moralist. Beginning today, I will issue proclamations about </span><span style="background-color: white;">morality. Everybody else has fun with this, on the marcro and micro level. Hard right people of faith </span><span style="background-color: white;">believe that everyone should ascribe to their faith. Hard left people of faith also believe this, except </span><span style="background-color: white;">for the parts that are Hard Right. In subcultures ranging from polyamorists to civil war re-enacrors to </span><span style="background-color: white;">BDSM people to belly dancers to swingers there are rules that unfortunately change from person to person but are </span><span style="background-color: white;">inviolate within their personal cosmos.</span><br />
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I am usually pretty easy going, but moral absolutism seems to inflame the panties of the masses. Because <span style="background-color: white;">I live to please, and inflaming panties is the surest way to please, I will become the voice of </span><span style="background-color: white;">authority.</span><br />
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I understand that I cannot do this in a half assed sort of way. You cannnot be "A" voice of authority. <span style="background-color: white;">One must be "The" voice of authority. Otherwise there will be message confusion, as competing voices seek </span><span style="background-color: white;">to assert authority, and turn life into a version of "A Comedy of Errors."</span><br />
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The key to asserting authority is to follow up with reasonable consequences for violating rules. So, from <span style="background-color: white;">here on out, IF YOU LAY EYES on this document. If you even read the letter "I," your punishment for not </span><span style="background-color: white;">following my dictates will be to spend the afterlife with a frog ghost living in each of your spectral </span><span style="background-color: white;">orifices. Which is very uncomfortable. VERY UNCOMFORTABLE! Squirmy. Think hard on that.</span><br />
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So follows are the rules that you need to follow in order to be a Good Human Being (TM):<br />
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<b>Rule One:</b> To start with, Every Living Human Being should listen to the classic Christmas Carol "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004BF78WI/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B004BF78WI&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">Fuck You If You Don't Like Christmas</a>." Every time the singer says "Fuck You..." you must hear "you should." Except <span style="background-color: white;">the line about brushing your teeth, which would parse as "You should like if you don't brush your teeth. </span><span style="background-color: white;">It's Nasty." Which is bizarro world language. Instead, take that line as cannon, just as it is. Fuck you </span><span style="background-color: white;">if you don't brush your teeth. It is nasty.</span><br />
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This is sort of a "do as I say not as I do" sort of thing. I don't like Christmas much myself, mostly <span style="background-color: white;">because over Christmas weekend I end up watching alot of CSI at my parents. But I fully agree that any </span><span style="background-color: white;">excuse to celebrate is VEN-or-ATE-able. An opportunity to just fucking let go of the horrendous bullshit </span><span style="background-color: white;">that we put up with every day of our white collar, corn fed American lives just to buy video games and </span><span style="background-color: white;">feed our kids. Any excuse to celebrate is a mandate. If you don't have work.</span><br />
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<b>Rule Two:</b> Every Living Human Being should read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=kim+stanley+robinson">Kim Stanley Robinson</a>. His entire cannon, but if you want an <span style="background-color: white;">easy in, then you should start with <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316098124/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0316098124&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">2312</a>. Kim Stanley Robinson is the essence of liberal humanitarianism, </span><span style="background-color: white;">the most pragmatic moral philosophy that exists. It recognizes that life is hard, even in first world </span><span style="background-color: white;">countries, because you are experiencing it as hard. There is no bottom, empiracle level of hard. Your </span><span style="background-color: white;">hardship is honored. But you still have to deal with shit. And it's easier to deal with heartbreak than endemic poverty. Just sayin', to quote The Bard. KSL illustrates this in every one of his </span><span style="background-color: white;">magical novels.</span><br />
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<b>Rule Three</b>: Every Living Human Being should listen to the My Chemical Romance Album <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0011Z52EW/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0011Z52EW&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">The Black Parade</a>. This <span style="background-color: white;">album is the best sequence of music that illustrates preservation in the face of despair, and the fair </span><span style="background-color: white;">acknowledgment that your best efforts might result in nothing. BUT: And here's the point here: They are </span><span style="background-color: white;">your best efforts. All of your best efforts are energy that propels the great ship of humanity into a </span><span style="background-color: white;">future that will transcend the heat death of the universe. Your ignominy is a seed for the glory of your kin and legacy.</span><br />
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<b>Rule Four</b>: Every Living Human Being should read <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401225756/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1401225756&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">The Sandman</a>, by Neil Gaiman, issue one to alkdfhjaldkhfadlkfhadlkh, <span style="background-color: white;">which is the graphic novel version of the message in "The Black Parade." Studies have shown that people </span><span style="background-color: white;">have to be exposed to an idea three times before they adopt it, so we've got two right here. A third will </span><span style="background-color: white;">show up shortly.</span><br />
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<b>Rule Five:</b> Read the <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461087775/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1461087775&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">Principia Discordia</a></i>, which is available for free everywhere. Because I abhore sycophancy, <span style="background-color: white;">I will not tell you why. Your challenge is to figure it out how it ties in.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span><span style="background-color: white;"><b>Rule Six</b>... fuck, I don't know. This will be an evolving document. </span><span style="background-color: white;">It's kind of co-dependant. But as a series of recomendations, it actually works out pretty well.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-22530106367513109302012-07-31T12:00:00.000-04:002012-08-07T22:03:02.099-04:00Blog Tour: Nicki J Markus' Time Keepers<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyn911voaZi6xwBimRixQu4nPBNQLb3MwqK4lYpoXMIyEhiUrloWYym5Y10l03dw1c4_UvaVtYprx0-pxd23dB3aSm_DwBGu6PoUucNNRIBY52waw1HPzSp2aBurikZJfa1Ns/s1600/TimeKeepers400x600+(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="background-color: white; clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCyn911voaZi6xwBimRixQu4nPBNQLb3MwqK4lYpoXMIyEhiUrloWYym5Y10l03dw1c4_UvaVtYprx0-pxd23dB3aSm_DwBGu6PoUucNNRIBY52waw1HPzSp2aBurikZJfa1Ns/s320/TimeKeepers400x600+(1).jpg" width="213" /></a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi! I'm entering the blog tour arena by helping spread the word about Nicki J Markus' new urban fantasy <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461087775/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1461087775&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">Time Keepers<img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=theelectricwe-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B008JSLWKC" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; margin: 0px;" width="1" /></a>. Nicki helps keep other indie publishers in the public eye. Her style is crisp, and her approach is fun.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">In the not so distant future, Supernaturals have announced their presence to the world. But now a secret government agency is rounding them up, hoping to use them for its own purposes.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">With Supernaturals going missing every day, Nick has been careful to guard his own secret, never giving anyone reason to notice him. That is until Ellie comes careering into his train carriage.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />Instantly drawn to her, he tries to help. But soon both their secrets are revealed and they find themselves on the run in a desperate bid to escape from the mysterious Time Keepers, whose net is closing in around them.</span></div>
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<i><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Say No To Fur!!</span></i><span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The poster caught his eye as he stood on the muggy, station platform waiting for the southbound Jubilee Line tube.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Nick frowned, tilting his head slightly and staring at it. The hologram of a wolf's head hovered in the centre, the trademark tinges of reds and greens, which even modern technology could not erase completely from the image, were just visible behind its charcoal grey fur. It rippled there in seeming innocence, a benign look in its yellow eyes as it watched the passers-by.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">In some ways it seemed inconspicuous, lost as it was amidst the neon graffiti tags that covered every free inch of wall space, and yet it drew the eye somehow, creating a sense of disquiet that made everyone give it a wide berth as they walked past.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Then a woman stepped a little too close.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">The wolf's head leapt out from the poster, eyes bloodshot and jaws open wide, revealing glistening pointed teeth that dripped with saliva and snapped viciously at her. The woman shrieked and jumped back in fright, dropping her handbag as the wolf retreated, reverting once more to its former pose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Nick bent down and retrieved the worn leather bag, holding it out to her. He could hear the heavy pounding of her heart within her chest, and he waited patiently while she took a moment to compose herself. Finally her watery grey eyes focused on him, and she reached out a gnarled and wrinkled hand to reclaim her possessions.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">"Thank you, young man." She carefully eased the handles of the bag back over her emaciated arm, the additional weight making her hunch her shoulders as she supported one arm with the other. "It shouldn't be allowed."<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">"No, the tube station really isn't the place for posters like that," he agreed with her readily, casting a wary glance at the wall where the wolf still hovered, looking peaceable once more.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-AU" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">"No, not the poster, young man; I mean these Werewolves—and the Vampires too. As if there isn't already enough wrong in the world without such evil creatures roaming around free. The sooner the Government stamps them out the better." The woman turned away and waddled off farther down the platform.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Author Bio</span></b><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVAgzFiIqQue8eeU8eFmqkqI4sqe4NUJJLDb-QYkNxTYkIpaG9TzviPloVvBP-bsiCgfE3BVX70QufDtBbpinQn2x_1p3NOJntkdAyjv4K00h8ENY3243SjDrDKeKWTKgLVIs/s1600/Nicki_J_Markus_2010_Writer_Photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyVAgzFiIqQue8eeU8eFmqkqI4sqe4NUJJLDb-QYkNxTYkIpaG9TzviPloVvBP-bsiCgfE3BVX70QufDtBbpinQn2x_1p3NOJntkdAyjv4K00h8ENY3243SjDrDKeKWTKgLVIs/s320/Nicki_J_Markus_2010_Writer_Photo.jpg" width="223" /></a></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><a href="https://spsilverpublishing.com/index/book_authors_id/129/typefilter/book_authors/?zenid=b724e60f3daaf50392655160e23a5693">Nicki JMarkus</a> was born in England in 1982, but she now lives in Adelaide, South Australia with her husband. She has loved both reading and writing from a young age and is also a keen linguist, having studied several foreign languages. She has completed a BA (hons) English with French from the University of Greenwich, London and a PGDip in Translation from the University of the West of England, Bristol. She is currently studying for diplomas in Editing and Publishing.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />Nicki J Markus launched her writing career in 2010 and her fiction work has been accepted for e-book publication by both Wicked Nights Publishing and Silver Publishing.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><br />In her spare time, Nicki J Markus also enjoys many other creative pursuits including music, theatre, photography, sketching and web-design. She also has a keen interest in history, folklore and mythology, pen-palling and travel.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Website: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.nickijmarkus.com/"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">http://www.nickijmarkus.com</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Goodreads: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4567057.Nicki_J_Markus"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4567057.Nicki_J_Markus</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">Facebook: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/NickiJMarkus"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;">http://www.facebook.com/NickiJMarkus</span></a></span><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 150%;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Silver Publishing Author Page: </span><span lang="EN-GB"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><a href="https://spsilverpublishing.com/index/book_authors_id/129/typefilter/book_authors/?zenid=b724e60f3daaf50392655160e23a5693">https://spsilverpublishing.com/index/book_authors_id/129/typefilter/book_authors/?zenid=b724e60f3daaf50392655160e23a5693</a></span></span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-14832306444835298432012-07-26T17:00:00.000-04:002012-07-27T09:22:17.429-04:00My face on the web/Social networking workflowSo, I'm all over the web, because like any of my tribe (Gen-X Overthinkers, of the subtribe Shlubby Ink Stained Atheist Fanboy), I am a technophile and something of a collector. I like pages that track my interests, and expose me to other people's.<br />
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In addition, I am in the process of starting the "self promotion" part of my shoe string self publishing hobby. I would appreciate the help of a few clicks if you have a Facebook or Amazon account. Also, I may use the info in a Indie Pub !Science! article.<br />
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Note, I'm not asking people to buy books. My attitude is that if you're on my Facebook feed already, I'm happy to give you a copy in epub or mobi format (which will work on Kindles) for free. Email or PM me. I am interested to see if this kind of social networking convinces other people to buy books from an unestablished, unrepresented author, however.<br />
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This is the link to my Amazon author page. I have heard a rumor, possibly false, that these get bumped up in the ranks if there are more author "likes". It's easier than writing a review, if you've read any of my books and enjoyed it at all.<br />
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<a href="http://amazon.com/author/lawrencekapture">http://amazon.com/author/lawrencekapture</a><br />
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This is the link to my Facebook Author page. Once 30 people "like" this page, I can view traffic stats. :-/. I believe I might start pushing all my "every week should end in awesome" type links through this page. I believe.<br />
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<a href="http://www.facebook.com/LawrenceKapture">http://www.facebook.com/LawrenceKapture</a><br />
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I am on Twitter. I blort things on here, sometimes.<br />
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<a href="https://twitter.com/LawrenceKapture">https://twitter.com/LawrenceKapture</a><br />
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I am on Good Reads. We can compare book collections, and I will be notified when you review books.<br />
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<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5366574.Lawrence_Kapture">http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5366574.Lawrence_Kapture</a><br />
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I am on Pinterest, because I love weird art. This is where I collect tattoo flash, pictures of monsters, and food pr0n.<br />
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<a href="http://pinterest.com/lkapture/">http://pinterest.com/lkapture/</a><br />
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I am including my blog address because I know this link will show in my Facebook feed. You can RSS it. Lolololololo!<br />
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<a href="http://electricwell.blogspot.com/">Electricwell</a><br />
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I used to publish on Smashwords, and may do so again because it distributes to so many publishing platforms. You can like this author profile, but I think you need a Smashwords account, which is of marginal use to people not interested in Indie Pr0n. But if you're there already....<br />
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<a href="http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Kapture">http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/Kapture</a><br />
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Because I like to add value, here's a couple of workflow tips for fellow Indie writer wannabees: <br />
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You can update Facebook automatically from any blog or tweet, meaning each update to your blog or twitter feed is a twofer.<br />
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In Twitter I do all my short, texty, "pith and vinegar" posts. To connect Twitter and Facebook, go to Settings, then Profile, then your Facebook settings.<br />
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Longer posts come from my blog, and I use the Facebook App RSS Graffiti to pull them from my blog directly into my Facebook page. Search for RSS Graffiti in facebook and then allow it access to your Facebook page. After that, it will show up under Apps in your newsfeed. When you open RSS Graffiti, you need to create a Publishing Plan, enter a URL that should be imported to Facebook, and target the appropriate Facebook page (for instance, your personal or Author Facebook page).<br />
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If you have social networking workflow tips that you'd like to share, let me know in the comments!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-16193083964691875032012-07-25T23:00:00.000-04:002012-08-07T19:47:54.820-04:0011 PM Book Review: 2312<div>
2312, by Kim Stanley Robinson, is perhaps the loveliest science fiction novel ever written and an excellent beginning sf novel for people interested in literary fiction. Set three hundred years from now, humans have colonized the solar system from the asteroids inside the orbit of mercury to the moons of Neptune, and travel the solar system in hollowed out asteroids. In this milieu, Swan and Wahram, each over a hundred years old, meet after the death of Swan's grandmother Alex. When Swan's home city is destroyed by sabotage, she becomes involved in an investigation of artificial intelligences started by Alex and Wahram<br />
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Despite the thriller-esque overtones of the overarching plot, KSR spins the story out in a leisurely but compelling series of vignettes that involve social justice and ecological repair on an earth ravaged by global warming, meditations on the nature of gender, a love story between Swan and Wahram, two entirely mismatched paramours, and snippets of Rumi. Kim Stanley Robinson's stories have a way of acknowledging the ripe stink of human history, but the nature of his stories assume that the future is bright and the structure of his novels minimalizes the inherant conflicts and maximizes the value of human beings searching for meaning all while presenting you matter of factly with wonders: magical environments created through the application of technology.<br />
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<iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=theelectricwe-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=B004RD8544&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe><iframe frameborder="0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" scrolling="no" src="http://rcm.amazon.com/e/cm?t=theelectricwe-20&o=1&p=8&l=as1&asins=0316098124&ref=tf_til&fc1=000000&IS2=1<1=_blank&m=amazon&lc1=0000FF&bc1=000000&bg1=FFFFFF&f=ifr" style="height: 240px; width: 120px;"></iframe></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6752694.post-46594749584540477452012-07-20T09:00:00.000-04:002012-08-21T11:20:02.813-04:00Forbidden Planet Readalikes: A short bibliography I wrote to supplement a movie program at Portage District Library<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTZZ-fOx4u7DytHaPPUiI_XbgUd8aBOmOWhKSVuPi_XM9oaSU-p3uKy7PXpnlUPgBPuKibzIL_IEoMP-MYnEVh9kG2saVZiz4gi43QdZ-DjvMVowGsulKsuVVhef84rRuUJMI/s1600/220px-Forbiddenplanetposter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimTZZ-fOx4u7DytHaPPUiI_XbgUd8aBOmOWhKSVuPi_XM9oaSU-p3uKy7PXpnlUPgBPuKibzIL_IEoMP-MYnEVh9kG2saVZiz4gi43QdZ-DjvMVowGsulKsuVVhef84rRuUJMI/s320/220px-Forbiddenplanetposter.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
Widely believed to be lifted from the play The Tempest by William Shakespeare, the movie <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0019NB9A2/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0019NB9A2&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">Forbidden Planet</a> is about a genius whose powers get the better of him. The plot involves unexpected mysteries found exploring distant planets, and "things man was not meant to know" in the form of "monsters of the id."<br />
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Here are some other science fiction books that deal with mysteries on new planets:<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005KGJWTO/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005KGJWTO&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">The Engines of God</a></b>: Jack McDevittMcDevitt. Terraforming threatens critical research on the enigmatic alien ruins on Quraqua and its moon, which include a bizarre false city dubbed Oz.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1461087775/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1461087775&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">Foreigner</a></b>: CJ Cherryh. A human starship, lost in space, discovers another race. Overconfident, they are defeated in a war and must live on a reservation.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0765355558/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0765355558&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">The Outback Stars</a></b>: Sandra MacDonald. The crew of a space ship discovers strange thing about the alien faster than light travel system that they use.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1405073039/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1405073039&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">Rendezvous with Rama</a></b>: Arthur C. Clarke. When a 31 mile long alien starship enters Earth's solar system, a group of human explorers intercept the ship in an attempt to unlock its mysteries.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345333926/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0345333926&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">Ringworld</a></b>: Larry Niven. Louis Gridley Wu travels beyond the edges of space known to humans, and joins an alien's expedition to a world constructed like a continuous ring around it's sun. Nobody knows who or what created this gigantic planet, but they seem to have been aware of us!<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0449912558/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0449912558&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">The Sparrow</a></b>: Mary Doria Russell. Human exploration of a distant world results in the lone survivor being brutally enslaved.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H4I4JU/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003H4I4JU&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">Speaker for the Dead</a></b>: Orson Scott Card. An indirect sequel to Ender's Game, the alien life on a human colony world turns out to be unlike anything seen before.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003H4I4JU/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B003H4I4JU&linkCode=as2&tag=theelectricwe-20">To Your Scattered Bodies Go</a> (Riverworld Series)</b>: Philip Jose Famer. All of humanity is resurrected on the banks of a river. Mark Twain, Richard Burton, and Alice in Wonderland decide to find out what's up with that.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06943950354134161564noreply@blogger.com0