First Campaign Challenge: Sweet Plums

At first I thought I wouldn't be able to participate in the first campaign challenge, but it seems that I have found some time after all. I have been given contestant #77. Let me know what you think.  

Shadows crept across the wall as Mcroy moved down the dank alley. He kept his revolver pointed forward with only one round in the chamber. It was all he had left to defend himself, and he was about to use it.

A Shanairean guard stood ahead of him with his back toward him unsuspecting. Mcroy knew the implications. If he missed, he would forfeit his life early. The Shanairean guard had strength unmatched by any mortal soul. If he failed to kill it promptly he would be easily ripped from limb to limb. So he moved in closer, squeezing the grip hard.

Glass crunched under his feet, and the guard swiftly spun toward him upon the sound which sank into the stone walls. The Shanairean guard’s eyes grew wide finding Mcroy’s revolver two feet from his head.

A loud bang clamored down the alley as Mcroy pulled the trigger. His last shot used, but the guard remained standing dodging the bullet before it had been fired. How could it be? How was it possible? He missed his target at point blank.

The guards eyes grew furious and his lip pulled back in a snarl.

“Sweet Plums,” Mcroy muttered. “I missed.” 

My Eleven Questions

I have been tagged for eleven questions by at least three different people, and do to lack of time I'm going to only be able to answer one set. So here they are asked by Jacob Adams.

1. What is the one author you can't refuse?
  Hard to say considering that I don't read a lot of fiction, but I do enjoy Dean Koontz.
2. Do you listen to music while writing or do you prefer perfect silence?
  Typically I like to have music going as it helps with the mood. The only problem however is when you have something slow and gentle playing while writing an intense scene.
3. To you, what is the hardest thing about writing?
  Staying disciplined.
4. What is something that happened in your childhood that influenced your writing today?
  I have always enjoyed plot development since I was very young, and it is those times that I would play with my siblings that have influenced my current works. We were always running around acting out a story, fighting off the the bad guys, and saving the world.
5. Movie night: comedy, sci fi, romance, or horror?
  Sci fi.
6. What is your biggest pet peeve?
  Stereotyping I guess, but then we all do it to an extent. A more specific one is when someone judges you for not doing something according to the traditional method.
7. Favorite season?
  I enjoy fall.
8. What was the first book you simply could not put down?
  I'm not really sure about that one.
9. If you could time travel (without the ability to influence the past), what time period would you visit?
  The American Revolution. I would like to meet the people who established this country and hear what their views were, since their seems to be some controversy today as to what their beliefs really were.
10. Would you live on the moon or Mars if ever given the chance? Why or why not?
  Probably the moon. Mars is to orange for my taste while the moon seems to have a more peacful ambiance about it although probably very lonely.
11. What is the biggest thing that scares you?
   Nothing at all. "Sigh," if only that were true. Right now the thing that gives me the most anxiety is the question of what am I going to do in life? At times I feel like a ship lost out on see, but then I'm constantly reminded to keep my eyes on God. I can only trust him to get me where I need to be, and looking back on my life I can't say he has ever failed me. As the Psalmist wrote, you have put more joy in my heart than they have when their grain and wine abound. Psalms 4:7. 

Now here are my eleven questions for anyone who would like to answer them.

1. For you, what makes a bad book bad?
2.What is your idea of a good book?
3. Is there any kind of great book you have in mind that you want to write someday?
4. Who is someone you respect in life?
5. What do you believe is the most important thing in life?
6. What genre do you prefer?
7. What kind of hobbies do you have besides writing?
8. Is there any time in history that you find inspiration from?
9. What drives you to write?
10. What kind of animal would you want as a pet if you could choose any kind?
11. Who is one of your favorite characters in either one of your works or someone else's works?            

The Lord of Plagues

In the realm of my book there is a story told among few folk. It is a story largely forgotten by mankind, and remembered only by those that have fought to preserve it. I've decided to add that story here, so you'll have to let me know what you think of it.

 This is a story of a time long ago and a place long lost. A small land that thrived with mankind and his cities. It was a civilization with prosperity, and ruled by a king that governed with a strict hand. It is said that this king wore a crown of iron and a robe of plain wool. His court was dark with wood and iron, brick and stone, but the one thing that drew every persons eyes was his spear of fine gold. 

His kingdom flourished with traders and merchants from farther lands past the sea. Peace was common  and forgotten, but a day came when a great fire fell from the sky consuming everything in its midst. From this fire came a plague that swept through the mountains and the valleys of the land. Men turned against each other and cities fell to ruin. Peace became a wanted thing as a new lord rose to power, and the Lord of Plagues became his name.   

There was hope however. As legend tells it there was a young boy and a prince from a foreign land that found companionship with each other, and from this companionship they found the strength to push back the lord and his plague. It was in the end that this plague was consumed by fire. Thus by fire it came and by fire it went, but there was one thing that was left behind. 

People still feared however for the return  of the plague, and for the fire from the sky. Time went on and people forgot until only a few remembered the past, but no one ever did know what had happened to the young boy and to the prince that saved them from their doom.             

A Man Out to Save the World

This post is related to my last one about reading as a discipline. As a student working for a college graduation I have been reading many works in the way of history, science, and so on. It was when I was thinking back on my western civilization studies that I realized how much they had influenced my writing. My characters, mainly the villains, have undergone many changes since those studies. For instance:
One of the major villains in my book is named Archaies. His name is rarely ever mentioned except for in the prologue, but other than that you never really hear of him again. One can guess as to whom the character might be, but he never really seems to make an appearance.
I had always wanted my villains to carry more personality than the usual out to rule the world mentality. I wanted to know how they thought, and what their beliefs were. In other words why were they out to rule the world and everyone in it.
When it came to Archaies however, I never had the answers to these questions. That is until I went through western civilization. Reading about the affairs of the world throughout history I learned of the many kings and dictators. I could see the many ideologies of the times concerning the absolute rule of the monarchs as opposed to rule of the people. The major thing I learned is that everyone has their ideas about the world, and they all have their solutions to fix it. It is from their worldview that they make their decisions.
It was then that I realized Archaies's philosophy. I knew what it was he was doing, and why he was doing it. He was no longer a lunatic that was out to rule the world but he was out to save it in his own twisted way. He no longer killed for the heck of it, but only when it seemed necessary for him.
Archaies is the type that refuses to fight unless presented no other option. At one time he could have been considered a gentlemen as he made sure to treat people with utmost politeness. However through his experiences of life, war, and politics he came to see the horror people have to offer. He recognized the problems of society and came to the conclusion that brutish people can only be ruled by an absolute ruler. However a ruler can only rule absolutely when he has absolute power. It was then that he set out to find this power.        

A Discipline to Read

One thing I hear often from people is that they're just not much into reading. The question that comes to my mind however when I hear this is, is the love to read something that you have, or is it a discipline? Is it something you receive through the passing on of traits, or is it something you have to work to find.
Now before I go any farther I have got to say that I can identify with those that find reading to be a challenge. I love reading, but actually doing it can be tough. There are so many books out there ,both fictional and informational, that I would love to read but I never seem to get around to doing it. This is truly a shame considering the wealth of information out there that's in easy access, and as a writer one should use this information. For it is by the reading of history, science, literature, and all other sources of information that ones imagination becomes inspired.
From my own personal experience I believe the love to read comes from a discipline to read. I find that it is when I make myself sit down and read that I find true desire for more books, and it is ultimately through this reading that I find my imagination inspired and exercised. So my challenge for you ,as well as I, is to sit down and read something.            

Platform Building

I am joining the fourth campaign for platform building. I'm exited for opportunities to meet other writers and being able to promote my work. The campaign is going to definitely be an incentive to blog as I am easily distracted by other things among work and schooling. Its going to be fun, I just know it, and I look forward to meeting everyone.

The fourth campaign. 

Book One

It has nearly been three years ago since I started writing my first book out of a series I plan to continue. However this includes all the times I had scrapped it and started over from scratch before I would question its worth multiple times over. At currant it has probably taken me about two years to finish this final edition of my first book. It has been a challenge filled with both excitement and dread, but I am happy to say that the book is finally in its editing stage. I look forward to publishing it, but meanwhile here is a synopsis.

The story takes place around the year 2060 on a set of strange islands that appeared in the Atlantic several years earlier. Communications have been lost with the outside world, and a foreign enemy called the Rebirtha has forced the humans into hiding.

The story centers around three characters. Levi, who has forgotten who he is except for his name. He soon learns however that there is someone out to kill him, and that he must find something called the Orbule Eye. He doesn’t know what it is, but hopes that it will reveal to him who he really is.

The second Character is Mathew, who has an encounter with a monster lurking around the outskirts of town. At first he believes that what he saw was only in his head due to a head wound, but soon notices that everyone around him seems to be acting strange.

Third there is Isaac Kierken, who is an enhanced super soldier that finds himself working for the Rebirtha, the very enemy he swore to destroy. He finds his world, and everything he thought he knew, turned upside down once he encounters a new enemy that even the Rebirtha fear.

So let me know what you think.