Writing about a situation is how many authors come to terms with it. They coalesce thoughts and emotions into words they can touch. Then they take these raw materials and build a framework which allows them to examine, dissect, and finally understand a thing.
I’ve written a lot of words about cancer, my struggles and successes, and I know there’s more in me to tell because I still haven’t reached understanding. It’s a moment in my life that feels miles away yet at the same time right over my shoulder. My words on the matter have stopped flowing for now, but while digging through my files I stumbled upon something just as strong, pictures. I stared at these photos and listened to what they told me. I’m not a Photoshop guy or much in the way of an artist, but I wanted to do something with these moments in time.
I found a site called Haiku Deck whose philosophy is to tell simple and beautiful stories through captivating presentations. I had found the medium, now to talk about cancer in a different way.
This is what I created. All the photos are mine except for the very first one. I don’t know if it’s too much or too little. It’s just what came together.
Created with Haiku Deck, the free presentation app
[direct link to presentation]
After a lot of hard work from our author, editors, and illustrator, Haven is now proud to present its first official novel release, Rhest for the Wicked by the talented Robert V. Aldrich.
The Isis Military Complex. A military research facility deep in the Nevada desert before it was abandoned and left to rot. In the decades since, malevolent things have grown and festered in that nightmarish place. But where there’s evil, there’s loot! It’s for that reason that Rhest, an enterprising street mercenary, has contracted some of his working partners into coming along with him on a scavenging mission to get at some of the lost technologies hidden deep within. Joining are his trusty swordsman Adelphus, sharpshooter Micah, and the power-armor-clad Kate.
Short on brains and long on guts, Rhest and his team venture into the Isis Complex to see what they can find. Quietly hoping what they’ve bitten off isn’t more than they can chew.
It’s currently available on Amazon/Kindle
Music can be very influential to the writing process as I’ve mentioned before. For me, certain scenes or stories demand a specific kind of music. When I’m trying to get into a flow I usually put on something electronic like Amon Tobin, Pretty Lights, or Red Snapper.
It’s when I’m diving into stranger, darker waters that my musical tastes become more eclectic. These songs put me in an odd state of mind, hitting me more in the gut than the brain. Being in an off-balanced mood allows me to tackle pieces that I want to inject with more emotional context.
This is far from an all-encompassing list, but these songs have been rattling around my head and if I didn’t put them down into a post they were going to keep bouncing in my noggin.
[click to continue…]
