Tag Archives: entertainment

Wednesday Afternoon Ramblings

My buddy, Jim Gavin, just released his first novel.  He’s one helluva writer with a great voice, so check it out.  These are the promotional blurbs for the book, including one by yours truly:

 

Hard Boiled Vampire Killers” is a rip-roaring, gun-slinging, ass kicking, Kung Fu, vampire and ghost extravaganza that does not disappoint and is a welcome addition to the genre. If you are tired of romantic, wimpy, depressing sparkly vampires look no further than Jim Gavin’s exceptional “Hard Boiled Vampire Killers” to get your fill of vampires that are actually vampires…it might just be the most fun I have had reading a book this year.” –Peter Schwotzer, Famous Monsters of Filmland

Hard Boiled Vampire Killers” is about alliances formed under duress, and freaks and geeks uniting for a lofty purpose. Jim Gavin’s spin on the material possesses spunk and Stamina in its verbal vigor, and fun fantastical frays… –Sheila Merritt, Hellnotes

Pulp is alive and well in the heart and fingertips of Jim Gavin, With HBVK, Gavin comes out swinging, delivering a superior first novel. Explosive, demanding, and very rewarding.” –Andersen Prunty, author of Morning is Dead

Jim Gavin’s Hard Boiled Vampire Killers is a welcome change from everything I have come to expect from the modern vampire story. It was also a bloody good time!” –Brian Knight from the introduction of Hard Boiled Vampire Killers

Of all the young writers I’ve read recently, Jim Gavin has my favorite narrative voice. It’s fresh, witty, biting, and moves with a dizzying speed that engage me like few others. His work is gritty and visceral, hearkening back to the detective novels of the 40’s and 50’s. I highly recommend his work to anyone who loves the power and majesty of well-crafted language.”–D.A. Adams, author of The Brotherhood of Dwarves series

Available at Dark Regions Press.

Wednesday Afternoon Ramblings

I would like to take a moment to congratulate my friend Stephen Zimmer for a bit of good publicity concerning his upcoming release Dream of Legends. The book is featured on “The Ranting Dragon” as one of the five most anticipated releases for December 2010.  While this may not seem like a big deal to some, as a fellow independent, please let me assure you that praise of this kind is a rare and valuable commodity.  Glen Cook and Mike Resnick are two of the biggest names in all of Sci-Fi/Fantasy literature, and to make any list with them is high praise indeed.

Stephen is one of the hardest working people I know, and he deserves success and good fortune to come his way.  If you’re looking for a good book for a Christmas present, check out his Fires in Eden series.  Fans of epic fantasy won’t be disappointed.

Tuesday Morning Ramblings – Thankful #23

I’m thankful for my imagination.  For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a creative drive, an insatiable need to express the thoughts and ideas that bubble up in the mad scientist’s cauldron that is my mind.  Awareness of this creativity began around eight or nine, when I first began playing with Star Wars toys, and instead of replaying the movie over and over, I would create my own storyline and remake the characters into what I wanted them to be.  Then, my cousin Sam introduced me to Dungeons and Dragons, and my imagination found an outlet that to this date is unrivaled.  Despite the stigma attached back then (I don’t know if it’s still the same today), role playing games were the most positive and productive form of entertainment I ever encountered.  Developing characters and then later sketching out adventures as Dungeon Master brought me out of my introverted shell and helped me learn how to interact socially.  And being encouraged and praised for my creativity gave me an inkling of self-confidence at an age when I had none.

I’m a writer because of my imagination.  Writing is my form of expression for those bubbles in the cauldron.  I’ve attempted a couple of times to walk away from writing and not look back because the life is difficult and often lonely, but each time, the need to release my pent-up imaginings would gnaw and gnaw and gnaw at me until I had no choice but to pick up a pen or sit down at the computer.  I write this blog for much the same reason.  Right now, with my current career in education, I simply don’t have the time or energy or concentration to work on a novel day in and day out the way I need to, so the blog allows me to release  my creative desires and maintain my writing skills without having to focus as much as I would for a full book.

The only downside to my imagination an creativity is that I have difficulty remembering details precisely as they occurred.  For instance, I can rarely quote a movie line verbatim because I’m usually rewording the line how I would have written it.  So my friends often have to correct me when I attempt to quote something.  To me, that’s a small price to pay for this amazing gift.  I love being imaginative and creative, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything else.  I’m eternally thankful and grateful for my imagination, for my creativity, for my ability to make something where before there was nothing.  It’s a special gift, one that I cherish and revere.

www.thirdaxe.com