Jan 10

Under the Table

Frederick St. John, or Rick as his friends called him, pushed open the heavy carved door of his restaurant, On the Rocks. A cab had dropped him off at the front saving him some time. It was peak in the dining room, and he was late. As soon as he cleared the doors, his pounding headache made a grand entrance, reawakened by the rush of voices and music. “The singles mixer, shit!” He’d have to make an appearance. But later. He rubbed his temple. The party was in full swing, and the bar side of the restaurant was hopping. He kept on walking avoiding those who wanted a piece of time he didn’t have to share.

He glanced down at his phone when it pinged again. Urgent emails beckoned, one fire to put out after another. He pulled up the next one as he bumped into somebody, apologizing while wanting to swear, not about the collision but the emails. Expletives tumbled to the edge of his tongue, but luckily the patrons couldn’t hear what he was thinking. He squeezed his phone tighter. The special reserve vodka he’d ordered for a private party had burned up in an auto accident. The driver was unscathed, but the loss of the delivery was the least of his problems.

Scrolling back, he re-read another message through again for the hundredth time. He’d gotten another call from the assisted living director. His father who he’d placed there recently decided it would be fun to go skinny dipping. In January. The director had sent another email trying to schedule an appointment. His wayward and frisky father would be the death of him. The message had included a very visual recounting of what had happened. Rick tried not to laugh.

He loved his father and would do whatever he could to keep him comfortable. The man lived life as if it was his last day on earth, tending to listen to whatever fun was whispering his name. Rick shook his head, barely squeezing out a smile.

A breathy voice came from out of nowhere. “Hello, Mr. St. John.”

Rick looked up. A perky…very perky, blond he’d hired to replace the previous hostess he’d mistakenly slept with stepped in front of him. What was her name? He smiled and stepped to move around her. He promised himself this time he wouldn’t let his need for release–time outside of his mind–lead him around like a hound catching a scent. She didn’t get the hint as she wrapped her arm around his and pressed against him.

“How are you this evening, sir?” He gently took her fingers and peeled them back off his arm to force her to back up, but had to immediately drop them otherwise he would have had a handful of double D’s as she turned into him to get closer. “Jesus!” He took a step back, but she followed.

“Listen…awe…” Shit, what was her name?

“Crystal,” she said with a pout.

“Listen, Crystal, I don’t have time for,” he waved his hand between them, “so,” he flicked his finger back to the hostess stand and continued, “get back to your station and make sure our customers stay happy.” He winced when her eyes widened, and they quickly lowered with the most wicked smile he’d ever seen. He licked his lips, really tempted to use sex as a numbing agent, but no. He couldn’t get involved in another meaningless relationship.

“Yes, Mr. St. John. Whatever you say.”

Would she really make his customers that happy? Jesus, what had he been thinking when he hired her? Oh, right. He hadn’t been thinking.

“Go on.”

She curled her lip down in what looked like a very practiced move to show disappointment and walked back to where she’d been when he’d entered.

Rick continued to move to the other side of the building putting the new hostess out of his mind right after he decided he would hire a man next time. Fewer distractions that way.

The bar connected to the restaurant by a long arched hallway. Ricky loved the transition. By the time a patron arrived at the dining side, the sound was more sedate, more intimate. Mounted on each section of wall, iron sconces held large candles. Flames cast shadow and light as they danced and flickered across rough fired brick walls as a customer moved through the final archway. He had a thing for rustic-contemporary design and his architectural designer had taken his ideas and returned with a fantastic plan. On the Rocks, had opened with good hype and continued to give him great returns. The most important of them, his customers loved it too and often returned for the food and atmosphere. He hoped any who met at the mixer wandered over in pairs to dine in.

He made eye contact with Casey, his bartender, and hit him up with a chin lift toward his office and a sign to meet him in five. Rick needed to figure out where his vodka for the private party was going to come from before he even considered the discussion he would have with his dad. A naked dalliance in a private area was one thing, but in the retirement center’s pool, that was a different matter.

Casey had just turned to talk to his bartender when his eyes widened, and he smiled, quickly turning away. Rick tried to catch his reflection in the bar’s back mirror when he suddenly looked down to see a very nice, very well rounded ass, sticking out from under a table. “What the hell!” He was so taken aback by what he was seeing, and the instant reaction his body was having, he didn’t respond as quickly to the woman attempting to stand up. She let out a squeak as the table rattled from the impact of her head, which gave him an armful of soft and very pliable female as she stumbled into him. His fingers took hold of her hips and then his arms wrapped around her as her momentum carried her backward. His meeting with Casey forgotten, Rick was consumed by all the luscious curves and warm body he held in his arms. But that changed in an instant when she pulled out of his grip and stepped on his foot causing her to turn awkwardly. He had to shift quickly to get a better hold on her, but he rammed his knee into a chair, which caused the now wiggling female to turn his way. And as sure as he was that his dad would again cause mischief, he knew that he was going to wind up with his ass on the plank floor.

“Ompf!”

“Ohh!”

With his arms, full of woman, he tried to stop the ringing in his head and nausea that settled in his gut after he hit his head on the floor. Rick groaned. His headache was no longer an annoying ache, but a throbbing avalanche of astronomic proportions.

As the woman started to twist again attempting to get off him, his body reacted in a very inappropriate, but exciting way. So, he did the only thing he could and held on tight, whispering in her ear, “Don’t move, little sprite,” It did nothing to help his sexual response to her, as he hardened and she shivered in his arms as his words seemed to tickle her ear. Well, that was interesting, he thought. He squeezed a little bit tighter, and she shivered again. Well, well, that was interesting too, but all too soon he remembered where he was and decided to end his agony, the good kind, which he could use right about now to help rid him of his headache.

Rick rocked forward, and groaned, bringing them both up into a sitting position where he was overwhelmed by the scent of her. She was musk and flowers, and he wanted nothing more than to inhale her as he spread her out on a bed of satin, devoured her, pleasured her until she couldn’t take any more until she screamed out his name.

“What the hell!”

Rick looked past the woman’s hair that caressed his cheek to see an infuriated man looking down on them.

“Sorry man. We were just trying to untangle ourselves.”

“Duncan, would you please help me up?” the woman asked. There was something vaguely familiar about that voice, Rick thought.

Duncan, now confirmed an asshole because he crossed his arms staring down at them both. Rick helped the woman up off him. He quickly got up and straightened his dress shirt, dusting off his slacks when he heard a gasp. When he looked up, he fell into a tumultuous ocean of dark blue eyes. Rick blinked and glanced over every curve and dip of the petite woman in front of him. As his eyes moved their way down her petite body, he couldn’t help but lick his lips wanting more than anything to have the restaurant empty so he could make this encounter more private. Rick would push her back and lay her out on the table and slowly untie the siren’s red dress she wore. Uncover every inch of her pale skin so he could fill his hands with her ample breasts, touch and taste her as he gave them as much pleasure as they both could handle and then he’d do it all over again. When he made his way back up from his long perusal, he noticed her breaths coming fast and hard.

She took a step forward, and he finally looked up to see her face was now a lovely shade of red.

“Ricky?” she said. She took another step toward him.

There was a moment when he still couldn’t recognize the face that went with the voice, but then she smiled, and his eyes narrowed, and then widened as he recognized a distinct dimple in her cheek. “Olivia?” He said her name again, “Olivia. Oh, my God!” This time he took a step forward. When he went to reach out and touch a face he barely recognized now, he found himself on the floor again, this time, with an aching jaw.

“Duncan!” Olivia screamed. When she would have come down to him, the asshole grabbed her and pulled her close to him.

“What the hell, man!” Rick said. He got up from the floor, again, and pressed forward getting into the assholes face.

That’s when Casey stepped up, “Everything okay here?”

“Yeah,” Duncan said. His mouth twisted and pinched. “We’ve lost our appetite. Come on Vivvy. We’re leaving.”

“Vivvy?” Rick mouthed to Casey.

“Duncan, we just got our food, and I need to find my mother’s necklace, the clasp broke again.”

Rick laughed not looking away from Duncan, still unsure of what the guy would do next. “You still haven’t gotten that fixed.”

Olivia looked over and gave him one of her smiles, the ones that had only been for him, but it suddenly turned sad. He wanted to know what had happened so he could fix it and make her smile again.

“Screw the necklace, I said we’re leaving.”

“But…”

That was all she got out before the guy grabbed her arm and started pulling her toward the front door of the restaurant. Rick went to go after her, but Casey held him back.

“Let go, Case.”

“I’m going to kick that guy’s ass, man.”

Casey pulled him around. “Find the necklace,” he pointed under the table, “and I’ll make sure she’s okay.”

“I should go after her.” He began to step around his closest friend, his fists curling into balls. Why would Olivia put up with that guy? And what was with him calling her Vivvy? She hated that. Or does she? But her grandmother called her that. She still must feel the same way. Rick wouldn’t know, though. He hadn’t seen her in at least eighteen years.

“I’ll do it,” Casey said. “Find the necklace. I’ll make sure she’s alright. The boyfriend’s bad news.”

“No shit.” He looked toward where they disappeared through the exit. He turned back to his friend. “How long has she been in town? Where’s she been? Did you talk to her?” Her parents had moved away, no notice, nothing, he remembered. He’d lost the first major crush he’d ever had, his body just awakening, and he had wanted to take that ride with Olivia. God, how he had wanted her to be his first. But he’d lost her, and part of himself, when he found out, they had gone.

“Alright,” he heard himself saying.

As soon as his friend rushed to find out if Olivia was okay, he searched for the necklace under the table. He pulled out his phone to light up the floor and forgot about all his worries, his father, the restaurant, everything. All he was focused on was finding Olivia’s necklace.

“Got, it!” He backed out to find Casey standing over him laughing.

“Shut it, asshole,” he said as he rubbed his head. Casey informed him that Olivia had ridden off with that Duncan asshole in a cab.

“Was she okay?” Rick asked.

“Nope,” Case replied. “She’ll kick Duncan to the curb, now that she’s seen you. Or we can hope. She’s been in the restaurant a couple of times since she’s moved back into her grandmother’s house. I’m surprised you haven’t run across her actually.” He ran his fingers through his hair and pulled. Rick knew that was a sign that Case was worried. “That guy is a prick. Not once have I seen him treat her right.”

“She’s moved back home?” Was his first words, but then he understood what Case was saying. “Is that guy hurting her?”

“I don’t know. But I’m keeping my ear to the ground, so to speak. So far I haven’t seen any evidence that the Duncan’s hitting Olivia.”

Rick nodded and took a few even breaths to put a lid on his temper. Casey would never let her leave the bar if he knew that she might be in trouble. However, since Casey had put his two sense in where it didn’t belong, protecting his girlfriend at the time, the dumbass he’d beaten the shit out of had pressed charges, he now minded his own business.

“Anyway, yeah, she’s moved back home.” The man crossed his arms and surveyed the dining room. “I’m surprised you hadn’t heard. Her grandmother finally bit it. I can’t believe it hadn’t been sooner. That woman was the true meaning of an evil bitch.”

Rick nodded. “I’ve been busy if you hadn’t noticed.”

“Too busy if you ask me. You need to delegate more. Let someone else deal with the club side of things. I know you enjoy the dining side more.”

Rick let Casey’s words fade as he thought of Olivia as a teenager. She was beautiful then, her innocence always at the forefront. It was one of the reasons he’d taken to her so quickly, his teenage hormones letting him know that she was worth every embarrassing hard-on he’d gotten in gym class when he thought of her. But he also remembered the way Olivia’s grandmother was the few times Olivia had invited him over. If the old woman scared the crap out of Rick, he couldn’t imagine how Olivia felt at the age of sixteen. It must have been why they moved away. Something awful must have happened. What could it have been, he didn’t know, but he was willing to find out. He wanted to know Olivia again. He needed to know her again. Gripping her necklace tighter, he headed for his office to dig up as much as he could about Olivia James because seeing her again made something deep in his chest ache for something more meaningful than a one night stand.

 

Wendi Knape’s books on Goodreads

Hot Blacktop
Hot Blacktop (Hot Blacktop #1)

reviews: 3

ratings: 4 (avg rating 5.00)

 

Jan 08

A Russian Roulette of Writers

When the hygienist said it would be a few minutes, I reached into my bag for a book or story packed for such an occasion—a few stolen moments of reading. Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout mingled there in my oversized and heavy purse with my Nook, spare change and crumpled receipts. My short story group selected the book to examine short stories compiled into a novel.

 

A World Literature Illiterate

The dentist’s usual routine—rush in, smile, check teeth, smile, rush out—stopped at the sight of my book. He asked, “What are you reading?”

I told him about the short story group.

“If you want to read the best short stories, you should read Russian authors,” my Russian dentist said.

“Our study group reads mostly American authors,” I said, embarrassed at my limited knowledge. I hadn’t read many of the American writers until I joined the group several years ago. My discovery of authors like John Cheever, Tobias Wolf, Antonya Nelson, George Saunders and Jhumpta Lahiri was still new and fresh.

I remembered a few foreign authors. “We read James Joyce—Irish.” Dubliners, of course, duh. “And Gabriel Garcia Marquez—South American.”

The dentist sighed and examined me through his ultra-magnified glasses zooming into the tiniest imperfections in my teeth, pores in my skin and crevices of my soul. “If you want to read a real story, read Chekov, the greatest short story writer.”

 

Required Reading

A few months later, I visited the dentist again. Study guide in hand and prepared to redeem my reputation, I announced, “We’re studying Chekov this month. And this one.” I point to the page. “He’s Russian too?”

“Nabokov. Yes, he’s Russian.” The dentist, his eyes downcast, said nothing more.

“Have you read ‘The Woman with the Dog’ by Chekov?”

“Yes, yes, of course. At my home in Russia, we had a library of more than three hundred books. First edition books. Valuable, but all stolen.”

I imagined his family living in Russia during the cold war years and wondered what forced them to leave. “Do you want to read our lesson? We’re studying stories retold or written in homage to another work. The Chekov story is recast by the author Joyce Carol Oates. And Lorrie Moore writes ‘Referential’ based on Nabokov’s story. Have you read ‘Signs and Symbols’ by Nabokov?”

He looked at me again through those magnifying lenses attached to his glasses, piercing through my ignorant American inquiry. “I read it in eighth grade.”

I tried to remember what I read in eighth grade, on those late nights sitting in my bean bag chair next to a pole lamp I rescued from the trash. My middle school friends swapped vampire novels and other contraband. My college-aged brother left behind his anti-war books like Trumbo’s Johnny Got His Gun.

But what did I read in school? Did I read in school? Overall, my eighth grade literature was entirely forgettable compared to what I read at home after my parents went to sleep. My dentist’s superior schooling trumped the American mandates for my entirely forgettable eighth grade year.

 

Biased To Domestic

My dentist politely declined my outline and expressed no interest in the other writers. Instead, he tore a scrap of paper from my file, unfortunately not the part with the amount I owed him, and wrote Bulgakov and his novel shown in the photo above. “This is the best. Read this.”

The conversation haunted me for several weeks until I studied an article about Americans bias to invest domestically when greater returns existed elsewhere. I wondered if greater reading returns came from abroad also. There was only one way to know.

The idea of reading the best of Russian writers piqued my curiosity and is one of my New Year’s resolutions. About Chekov and Nabokov, my dentist later confessed that he wanted the literature in Russian and not translated into English. I sympathized, hoping he can read some English, because I was trusting this guy with my teeth.

 

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Jan 06

Born to Write?

“The person born with a talent they are meant to use will find their greatest happiness in using it.” Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

I continue to write hoping to complete a 75,000-word story this year. Is this my true talent or an unrelenting drive? I write a monthly blog, short stories, and memoirs, but I want to do more. Do I keep the possibly unattainable goal of becoming a published novelist? Or should I admit this may be too much to hope for? Do you feel the same way and does this prevent you from achieving your goals?

I’ve tried to let go of the dream, but stories continue to invade my consciousness. Plot ideas come to me from tidbits of overheard conversations, intriguing quotes I’ve read, and scenes from books and movies. Of course, real life is rich with possible scenarios for novels.

For example, a family member told me the convoluted story of an estranged couple and their narrative resonated with me. That couple allowed memories of past relationships and current intruders to prevent them from consummating their romance. I plotted their romance, added a little spice and intrigue, and gave them a satisfactory outcome. The word count fell far short of what is expected of romance novels.

I put the manuscript aside knowing my work didn’t meet the criteria. But I can’t let the story go because it has many elements of stories that I like to read. I call them delicious romances with a little meat in them. More intrigue must be added, but it’s not easy without putting in too much fluff. I struggle writing longer manuscripts because I fear failure.

Discouraged from continuing my “hobby” of writing, I continued in secret. Shorter stories and memories were easy for me to complete without unwarranted attention. I knew if I failed at publishing a full-length story, then I would have to hear, “I told you so.”

I heard the following statement from the movie “Sing.” “Don’t let fear stop you from doing the thing you love.” Because writing gives me pleasure, I’ll repeat the quote to myself for encouragement as I continue to pursue my creative goal.

My commitments for 2017 are as follows:

  1. Continue blogging.
  2. Read a minimum of one book per month.
  3. Enter a writing contest.
  4. Finish writing this romance.

What are you committed to do this year?

 

 

Jan 05

My Top Ten Favorite Badass Video Game Characters

My Top Ten Favorite Badass Video Game Characters

In my years playing video games, I’ve come to particularly enjoy games that are action-packed and feature some of the most impressive visuals that I never tire of seeing.  None of these iconic action sequences would be entirely possible without the right character bringing their unique talents to the table.  Whether it’s heroes or villains who are superpowered, highly skilled in combat, or defy the laws of nature, no game franchise would be complet without a character or two who really kick ass.

The list that follows is my top ten favorite badass game characters and what sets them apart.  Please be warned that there are spoilers ahead.

10.  Rhonda Kreske (Dead Rising 3) — (spoiler alert) It might seem odd to have a tough-as-nails mechanic in the #10 slot, but Rhonda is, in my opinion, one of the best things about Dead Rising 3. From the moment she first appears on-screen as the friend, maternal figure, and employer of the game’s lead protagonist, Nick, her winning personality and take-charge attitude make her an instantly likable character.  She quickly proves she can hold her own when a pair of hoodlums dragged her into a shack for an attempt to rape her only to be sent packing by her within minutes.  As if she isn’t awesome enough, to begin with, she acquires a robotic flamethrower arm to replace her own when it’s cut off toward the end of the game.

9.  Galahad (Aveyond series) – (spoiler alert) The fantasy adventure series, Aveyond, isn’t widely known; it’s likely I wouldn’t even be aware of it myself if I hadn’t downloaded a demo of Aveyond 3: Gates of Night and got hooked. Each entry in the series tells a story separate from the others, with up to a 300-year gap in between games.  Only two characters appear in all four Aveyond games in some form — the vampiress Te’ijal and Galahad, the paladin-turned-creature-of-the-night she tricked into marrying her.  Even though Te’ijal’s been a vampire longer than him, Galahad is the most powerful character present in the series.  In Aveyond 4, he appears out of nowhere and single-handedly demolishes a battlefield full of demons that the four playable characters had no hope of beating.

8.  Big Daddy (Bioshock 1 & 2) – The world of Bioshock 1 & 2 is a massive undersea city called Rapture built to be a utopia for humankind. It falls into disarray after the introduction of a highly-addictive drug that grants superpowers.  The main character in Bioshock 1 discovers Rapture sometime after its decline into a monster-infested ruin.  The most dangerous creatures roaming about are each referred to as Big Daddy, hulks in full scuba gear that wield huge drills as weapons.  While they’re not to be trifled with, each of them serves as a devoted guardian to a young, drug-addicted girl wandering about the city.  Each Big Daddy turns deadly if they think their charge will be harmed.  To make things more interesting, Bioshock 2 flips things around by allowing the player to assume the role of a Big Daddy fighting to reclaim the girl who was forcibly taken from him.

7.  Vaas Montenegro (Far Cry 3) — A good rule of thumb, for both the world of Far Cry 3 and real life, is to make sure the island you’re planning to skydive onto isn’t overrun with drug runners and criminals led by a dangerous psycho. The game’s main protagonist, Jason, learns this the hard way when he and his older brother are quickly captured upon landing; the brother – a soldier no less – is killed during the escape attempt.  From there, it is up to the non-combatant Jason to systematically tear down the empire of the psychotic villain, Vaas.  This undertaking isn’t without its perils.  At some point during the story, Vaas shows off his special blend of crazy when he captures the intrepid hero, ties him to a cinderblock, and shoves him into a pit filled with water without warning.

6.  HUNK (Resident Evil Series) — In a game series populated by experienced fighters, soldiers, mercenaries, and the like, it takes a lot to stand out. One character that does is a Special Forces operative who goes by HUNK (Human Unit Never Killed).  He remains the most mysterious character of all in the Resident Evil series.  His real name was never revealed, and his face is constantly covered with a red-lensed gas mask.  HUNK’s character bio states he has a reputation for being the only operative to come back alive from several team-based missions given to him by the corrupt pharmaceutical company, the Umbrella Corporation.  Though his only real appearances are in Resident Evil 2 and the spinoffs, Umbrella Chronicles and Operation Raccoon City (all set in the year 1998), he is presumed to be still alive and kicking and waiting for a comeback.

Top (L-R) Urdnot Wrex, Vaas, Wesker, Big Daddy, Kratos
Bottom (L-R) Alexia Ashford, Galahad w/ Te’ijal, Rhonda, HUNK, Kai Leng
(photo credits at end)

5.  Kai Leng (Mass Effect 3) – (spoiler alert) The Mass Effect series has many formidable villains to its name, but very few with the aptitude of the telekinetic ninja-like swordmaster Kai Leng. Though he is seen standing idly by in one of the opening movie-style cinematics, he shows just how dangerous he is in his first action sequence. He is sent by a terrorist group to assassinate some high-ranking political figures and knows he must slow down the main protagonist, Commander Shepherd, to pull it off.  Toward this end, he drops from the sky onto the nose of Shepherd’s transport shuttle, stabs the engine with his sword while evading fire, and makes a smooth exit when his ride/shuttle comes in to pick him up.  Despite Shepherd’s best efforts, Kai succeeds in killing one of the politicians unless one of two other characters (Thane or Kirrahee) are still alive to stop him.

4.  Kratos (God of War series) — I must admit that I’ve never actually played any of the God of War games, but I’ve seen enough YouTube videos from other players to have developed a liking for the Spartan anti-hero, Kratos. Over the course of the three main games in the series, Kratos personally takes down many of the central figures in Greek Mythology – Gods, demi-gods, and Titans alike – in a quest for revenge.  Kratos’ thirst for vengeance knows no bounds.  He even claws his way out of the underworld – twice – to satisfy his bloodlust.

3.  Albert Wesker (Resident Evil Series) – Of all the villains in the Resident Evil franchise, there is not one that comes close to sharing Wesker’s particular capabilities. Granted superior strength and agility from a genetically-altering virus, Wesker is capable of easily besting the most experienced combatant and can move faster than a bullet at point-blank range.  Even more remarkable is his knack to stay cool and composed in most situations.  One example to the contrary is when an opponent gets lucky enough to stab him in the arm; the look of rage on his face says it all.  My personal favorite fight sequences are when he goes up against his long-standing rivals, Chris and Jill, inside a mansion, or his close quarters battle against Chris and his new partner, Sheva, in a ship’s cargo hold.

2.  Urdnot Wrex (Mass Effect Series) – Kai Leng is not the only character in the Mass Effect trilogy to take down a shuttle, but the brawny alien leader of Clan Urdnot of the lizard-like Krogan race, Wrex, does so in an extraordinary fashion. To save Commander Shepherd from a ship full of mercenaries, Wrex dives through a window and uses his body weight alone to force the shuttle down onto a platform.  He then proceeds to beat the stuffing out of all the mercs on board.  I was a fan of Wrex even before I saw this takedown, but this scene elevates him to new levels of awesome.

1.  Alexia Ashford (Resident Evil: Code Veronica) – If there were any one character who is arguably more powerful than Wesker in the Resident Evil series, it would be the main villainess in Code Veronica, Alexia Ashford. No sooner do Alexia and Wesker come face to face than she transforms into a humanoid plant-like creature and engages him in a fight.  Though the extent of her powers is never fully explored, what little she demonstrates is enough to make Wesker think twice about duking it out.  One of his punches does nothing more than make her stagger.  Alexia also uses her blood as a weapon, which ignites into flames within seconds of being exposed to oxygen.  The game, in general, doesn’t have the best dialogue, but this showdown is spectacular.

It could be interesting to throw all of these characters together for a grudge match, excluding Vaas and Rhonda since they wouldn’t last a minute, and see who comes out victorious. Granted, Kratos has an unfair advantage due to his tendency to come back from the dead until he gets it right, but Kai Leng’s ability to create psionic force fields are a good countermeasure against the determined Spartan.

Feel free to cast your vote on who would win such a Battle Royale in the comments below.  And be sure to tune in next month as I countdown the top ten things I love about the Mass Effect games.

Photo credits

Rhonda — http://i.imgur.com/pc2Dpqy.jpg

Galahad – https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ZhWFBZHTKYw/maxresdefault.jpg

Big Daddy – http://www.game-art-hq.com/wp-content/uploads/Big-Daddy-Playstation-Allstars-Battle-Royale.jpg

Vaas – http://media1.gameinformer.com/filestorage/CommunityServer.Components.SiteFiles/imagefeed/featured/feature/top10s/derangedvillains/Vaas610.jpg

HUNK – http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/residentevil/images/a/ad/HUNK_by_Aikido456.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20151218195316

Kai Leng – http://img04.deviantart.net/c018/i/2012/079/4/e/kai_leng___mass_effect_3_by_loraine95-d4tfc2m.jpg

Kratos – http://i.imgur.com/cXg7bMn.jpg

Albert Wesker – http://t08.deviantart.net/YDtgwYw3CNf7stcAACMEvu-6TrY=/fit-in/700×350/filters:fixed_height(100,100):origin()/pre01/f49e/th/pre/f/2012/183/0/9/resident_evil_5_by_lena14081990-d55nyxl.jpg

Urdnot Wrex – http://vignette3.wikia.nocookie.net/masseffect/images/1/11/Urdnot_wrex_14_by_johntesh-d4y9jqc.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20130216012755

Alexia Ashford – http://orig07.deviantart.net/4ce5/f/2016/020/e/0/alexia_ashford_mutated_first_form__by_thebeast10-d9oo14v.png

 

Jan 01

2017 Writer’s New Year and Resolutions

2016 was another good year for the Deadwood Writers. More members are publishing on this site as well as, and perhaps more importantly, are publishing commercially. Diana Hirsch, Jon Reed, and Wendi Knape have published works that show range and depth of quality. Wendi’s book, Hot Blacktop becomes available on January 10. Check out their books, you will not be disappointed.

I also have a book coming out on February 28: So All Can Learn: A Practical Guide to Differentiation. Writing the book was a pleasure and lots of hard work. Going through the book production process with the editor was a growth experience that I will use for future books. That does not even get into the marketing process. Essentially, writing a book is only the first step in publishing the book.

Many members have expanded their audience and deepened their craft through writing for this blog. I am forever grateful to their tireless efforts and amazing stories that they share. Please check out the Category Section to read some great narratives.

Resolutions for 2017

The start of each year, we share our writing resolutions. You are invited to share yours. Perhaps post in the comments section one or more of the following:

  • How many books will you read?
    Reading authors in your genres of interest is important for studying the craft and learning from others.
  • How many articles will you read and post a comment?
    Reading articles expands one’s understanding of content from a field of study. Posting comments on the article is a way to engage with the author and others for deeper dialog about the topic. This is a great way to get more of the author’s perspective and the views of other readers.
  • How many articles will you post or submit for publication?
    Starting out, be reasonable on the number. Ofcourse if you will be posting to your blog, that number may be higher. There is rich value in posting on your own blog. It’s a way to find and cultivate your writing voice.
  • Other possible resolutions:
    • Will you complete that book or story you’ve thought of?
    • Are you journaling on a daily basis?
    • How many reviews might you write?

 

For myself, my resolutions are:

Market and sell out the first print run of my book: So All Can Learn: A Practical Guide to Differentiation.

Write and post 12 to 20 articles/stories (not including this post :).

Read 10+ books and post a related review.

 

What are your resolutions? Please post in the comment section.

Happy Writers’ New Year!