Monday

First off, an update on this whole PayPal thing.  Turns out, like any other business, you merely need to threaten to take your business elsewhere to get attention.  After sending them a couple of emails about the issue I was having, including the afore-mentioned threat, I got a call from them yesterday.  Now, I didn't answer, since the call came from Nebraska, and I know absolutely no one who lives there.  But, they followed up with a personal email explaining the situation.  Basically, you can't have more than one PayPal account linked to a bank account.  And since my wife has already linked hers to our bank for D20 Girls, my account couldn't be connected.  Long story short, the money will get transferred somehow.  But I am still done using PayPal for this kind of stuff.

Anyways, it's Monday, coffee is still being imbibed, and work has a few tasks that need to be cleaned up.  Oh, and I forgot my effing flash drive at home again!  So, no working on current projects.  But, that won't stop me.  I have some ideas that I might start exploring.  Plus, I have an essay due on Sunday.  But those are fairly easy at this point.  I just need to discuss a topic for less than five pages.  Seems like a lot of latitude, but I have personal standards (I try to write at least four pages, regardless).

Today happens to be Kate Mulgrew's birthday.  For those new to this blog, I count myself among that minority of Trekkies that loves Voyager.  It's a close second behind TOS, in my book.  Now, don't get me wrong, I love all of them (with the exception of Enterprise, as I never watched it).  And I have mentioned it a time or two here.  But for some reason, Voyager really struck a chord with me, more so than TNG or DS9.  I think I just really liked the characters.  And the idea that they were just out there all alone, with no Starfleet to back them up.

So, now my brain is in Star Trek mode.  A friend and I were discussing his misguided dislike for Voyager when he mentioned that he would like to see a show that focuses on the Klingons in a post TNG era, where they are trying to re-establish the Klingon Empire, and get out from under the Federation's influence.  A show about honor and the rebuilding past glory.  I think that would be brilliant!  Good idea, Andre.

Other than that, not much is going on.  My new ebook will be delayed until near the end of this month, as I have to wait for one of the stories to get out from under the KDP Select program.  Which is fine, as it gives me more time to do some revisions, and to figure out a cover image.  I am kind of particular about those.  I don't want any of my books ending up on those blogs and sites that make fun of crappy book covers.

Ah, Monday...

SASE is a No-Go

Ok, I am taking down the SASE page above.  Mainly for two reasons.

The first is that PayPal sucks ass.  I cannot transfer the money I have in that account because they keep putting the wrong routing number on my transfer requests.  The number they put in is from my old account, not my new one.  And no matter how many times I change it, it never takes.  Add to that the fact that when you call their service line, you get an automated system that just walks you through the steps like you can't read what's on the website, and doesn't give you an option to talk to a live person.  I'm done with PayPal.

The second reason is that, the one story that is there is going somewhere else very soon.  I have decided that I need to focus on longer works.  Novellas at the very least.  So, I will soon be taking down Pekra and Severance from Amazon, and combining them with Blood from Sand into a single collection entitled With a Silken Fist.  This collection will have a new intro where I discuss the origins of each story.  Additionally, I will revise all three stories to expand them and flesh them out a bit.  Once all three stories are ready, and I figure out a cover (that will be the hardest part), the new volume will go up on Amazon and Smashwords for $2.99.

I'm doing all of this because, while I like the idea of doing it all myself, I simply can't.  There are not enough hours in the day, nor do I have the proper resources at my disposal.  So, for now I will be relying on The Man for my self-publishing.  But, I won't be taking part in the KDP Select program anymore.  That has done me zero good, and it only prevents me from publishing through other venues.

So, in the end SASE was a cool idea, that just can't swim in these waters.  I will probably still use the name on my works (like Charles Gramlich does with his Razored Zen).

Game on!

Tonight we were supposed to have a make-up session for our ongoing D&D campaign.  We're at a pivotal point in the story, where my character (and the party, really) is about to gain a very special weapon to be used in the current war with the forces of evil.  However, real life being what it is, we won't be able to play tonight.  So, we're back on our regular bi-weekly schedule next week.

In the meantime, I and at least two other players (including my wife) are jonesing for adventure!  To that end, the other player who isn't my wife is thinking of starting a new campaign to "fill in the gaps."  I'm excited about this idea.  Probably more than I should be, or thought I would be.  This is the same friend that ran an all-day marathon session of AD&D for his birthday last year.  Now THAT was fun!

Anyways, nothing concrete is in place.  In talking with him, he says he has a lot of ideas, and would need to hash out details of how it would work; what genre, what system, etc...  This, combined with Tim Shorts' Friday Question today, as well as an email from Scott Oden yesterday, has me thinking about gaming.

I think what I would like is a game that is focused on swashbuckling adventure with pirates on flying ships, and evil sorcerors, doing battle with dashing heroes, all for the hands of maidens in distress.  Something akin to Barsoom with magic and D&D races (elves, orcs, halfling, dwarves, etc.).  That would be cool!  Maybe Spelljammer, but confined to a single world.

Of course, I could be currently influenced by the fact that I am trying to finish up my Sword & Planet tale for Scott Oden's planned anthology.

Be that as it may, I have suggested a supplement for the Pathfinder RPG, Distant Worlds.  It looks awesome, and I really like Pathfinder as the successor to D&D 3.5.  I see it as an updated Spelljammer, with a Sword & Planet feel.  Sounds perfect!  Let me roll up my Elven privateer, so that he may clash swords with that dastardly villain, Blackskull!

Random Monday Musings

Since my brain is feeling a bit cloudy today, I thought I would try to rev it up with some writing here.

Last night we watched The Grey with Liam Neeson. I have mixed feelings about it. On the one hand, it was pretty intense, and though you could see shit coming from a mile away, everything that happened still managed to startle me when it was supposed to. I thought the characters were well-done, and over all, it was a well crafted film. Except the ending. All of that build up, and then…cut to black. I felt robbed. Although, if you stayed until the end of the closing credits, there was a quick shot that alluded to an earlier scene. This kind of gave you resolution. But not enough. I give it a 7 out of 10.

In other news, based in part on Keith’s comment on my last post, an idea that has been lingering for a while came forward with some clarity. Look for a new eBook to come soon. On a related note, I have re-priced two of my longer stories. I figure if publications base their pay on your word-count, then it wouldn’t be a bad idea for me to do the same with my self-publishing. And finally, after reading an article about non-fiction seeming to sell well on Kindle, I threw a couple of my academic history papers together and published them. They’re listed on my shiny new Amazon Author page, linked above. I also have a Goodreads author page, but I can’t link to it right now, as my work internet can’t translate that site very well (it’s a long story, involving an out of date version of IE that I can’t upgrade).

Now that the weather is starting to actually look like Spring (though the weather reports keep mentioning “chance for snow”), I am looking at getting outside more and being more active. Related to that, my friend gave me a punching bag that his kids had, but almost never used. It’s a good, heavy one. I need to drag it down to the basement, so I can hang it up and start taking out some aggression. Also, since it’s so heavy, I can wrap old belts around it, and make handles for lifting. Some good strength-training right there. My goal is to be in good enough shape that I can actually look like a superhero, should I choose to dress up for Wizard World Chicago in August.

Speaking of Cosplay, my wife is now an official “D20 Girl.” This is a group who organizes women cosplayers for pop culture conventions. But, rather than hired model “Booth Babes” who don’t actually know much about what they are promoting, these girls are authentic gamers and geeks. So, she will get free tickets to (relatively) local conventions, and will be required to wear costumes. She’s already planning on several options. This is way cool!

 

(By the way, this is not my wife.  Just a girl explaining what they do.)

Publishing options

When I first published Blood from Sand, I felt the need to share the event with a couple of friends.  You see, the world of Torin Pah was my idea.  But it was an idea that was going nowhere.  So, I shared it with these friends, who were also writers of fantasy.  Together we fleshed out my initial ideas, and laid the foundation for publishing an anthology set in Torin Pah, and featuring stories from all three of us.  Blood and Sand was to be my first entry for that, with two more stories planned.

However, things being what they are, we have all gotten busy with other things, and not just writing.  Long story short, the anthology has sat on the backburner for so long, the heat seems to have dwindled to almost nothing (though both have expressed interest in trying to get it done eventually).  Meanwhile, this story sat collecting virtual dust for several months.

I had a special place in my heart for this story, because it was actually my first attempt at a female protagonist, with mild romantic elements.  It was kind of a new direction for me, and I have been eager to get it out there and see what people think of it.  So, when the idea of SASE came up, I dug this story out, dusted it off, did a bit of fine-tuning, and put it out for the world to see.

Anyways, back to my friends.  One of them has recently published a serial of stories about a teeneage vampire.  His take is very not-Twilight (think more like World of Darkness).  And he made a couple of good points.  First, by eschewing Amazon, I was neglecting a large marketing opportunity.  This is very true, and I have to take that into consideration.  Second, he reminded me about Smashwords, which I had attempted with my first couple of stories, but backed out in order to take part in Amazon's KDP program (which has netted me nothing to date).

So, here's a possible revised plan.  I will continue to publish stories here, on my SASE page.  However, I will also publish at Amazon (removing them from KDP) and Smashwords.  The price point for all of my stories will go up in those areas to $1.25, as well.  I'm fairly confident in saying that I think my stories are of better than average quality, and deserve to be priced a bit higher than they have been.

Thoughts?

As a related aside, I am currently working on a third Gortek and Pekra story, this one more focused on Pekra, and the renegade dwarf, Bofdak (if you haven't read Pekra and The Orc Way, you should).  I gave the verbal pitch to my wife, and she is excited to read it.  I also have ideas for the sequel to Blood from Sand, as well as one for Blackskull's Captive.

With recent events in my personal life, I have a renewed motivation to start scheduling writing time.  So, here's to hoping I can get more organized and start acting like a writer.

Tom's Brain

Not to be confused with Spock's Brain.

So, this morning I found myself looking at my web-presence, specifically blogs, and what I would like to do.  Right now I have two blogs, this one and Fighting Man's Fitness.

This blog is more or less a dumping ground for all the crap that goes through my brain.  Here you get a slice of my life, some of my musings, my ideas, my dastardly (and not so dastardly) schemes, and generally just all kinds of stuff that interests me.  I try to keep these posts focused, at least a little, on writing and associated interests.  But I know I stray a lot.

Fighting Man's Fitness started out as a way of holding myself accountable for getting myself in better health, and better shape.  To that end, it was a bit cathartic at first to purge myself of a few demons, and organize my thoughts on the whole idea.  But now it has fallen off my radar, for the most part.  And whenever I open my Blogger Dashboard, I find myself wondering why I even have it.

So, I'm thinking of getting rid of the exercise blog, and substituting it with a Gaming blog.  This new idea would be where I discuss the gaming that I do (or want to do, or wish I could do) in all forms.  From Tabletop RPGs to Video Games to Online MMOs.  It would also be a place where I talk about one of my other passions, game-designing (specifically for Tabletop RPGs).

Oddly, this would be about the fourth blog I have started here, aside from my main one (which you are reading now).

Anyways, in other news, I am working on some ideas for writing Pulp Adventure stories.  Not specific stories, or even characters yet, but rather the methods and mechanics of what makes a good story.  Lester Dent, creator and prolific writer of Doc Savage stories back during the late Pulp Era, was famous for using a "formula" for all of his stories.  This is what allowed him to crank out literally dozens of stories in a relatively short period.

I have taken his formula, and boiled it down and defined it in terms that I can get around, personally.  My next step is to come up with a cool Hero, a cast of recurring characters and villains, and some plot devices.  Then I plug that all into the SuperComputer, and presto! PULP ADVENTURE!!

Ok, I'm not going to actually do "paint by numbers" stories.  But the idea intrigues me, and I think it would be a good springboard for some dashing adventure fiction.

I also have a 250-word Abstract on my Term Paper due on Sunday.  I suppose I should get started on that whole mess this week too.

Writing Fantasy Heroes - Review



Click to see at Amazon

 Writing Fantasy Heroes: Powerful Advice from the Pros [Paperback]
Ed. Jason M. Waltz
Rogue Blades Entertainment
216 Pages total

Review:
I have probably read my bodyweight in advice books on writing. The usual fare is all about how to navigate the publishing world, how to write for editors and agents, and how to get and develop ideas that will sell. And while this is all good advice, sometimes a writer needs advice on the less tangible ideas; like how to create engaging characters that will fit your chosen genre. And that’s where this book comes in.

First, the physical. This isn’t some doorstopper tome, stuffed with every piece of advice on writing known to man. This volume is a slick and slim work, sliding in at 216 pages. With a beautiful cover illustration, off-white pages that don’t hurt the eyes, and interior text that is highly legible and clean, Writing Fantasy Heroes is a wonderful achievement in publishing aesthetics.

As to the meat of this fine cuisine, let me say there is probably a choice morsel for every writer of every sub-genre of Fantasy, regardless of where they are in their career. Whether you are going for world-shaping epics, ala Tolkien, or smashmouth Sword & Sorcery adventure, ala Howard, there will be something in here for you. And if you are like me, there’s probably a LOT of somethings.

All in all, I am very happy with this purchase. And I will be marking pages and probably highlighting text for a long time to come. If I were to teach a class on writing Fantasy, this would be a required textbook.

SASE is open!

My experiment in e-publishing is taking its first step.  At the top of this site you will notice a new page.  There is currently a single story available for purchase.  If you are brave enough to risk the money (which is really no risk, as I can fulfill the order, even if the PayPal button doesn't work properly), feel free to buy this story and give me some feedback on the whole experience (including the story itself).

Thanks in advance to all who have advised and encouraged me on this.  Let's hope it works, and that SASE can become a bit bigger, and maybe accommodate a few more authors.

Amazon Kindle Users:
I currently have four other stories available at Amazon (see the link above).  Once the bugs in this system are worked out, I will be removing those from the KDP program, upping the price to match what I charge here, and offering them through SASE, the same as I am doing for this new story.  So, if you want copies of my other stories for your Kindle device at the lower Amazon price of $.99, now is the time to buy!

Publishing - Part II

After some thought, and a bit of discussion with a friend who is knowledgable of such things, I am going to attempt to set up a merchant site wherein I can sell my stories directly.  This will be an experiment in ePublishing, and will be limited to short stories for now.  I'll be pulling my Kindle stories out of the KDP program, which prohibits me from publishing elsewhere, and offering them on my own site for the same price of 99 cents (I wish the keyboard had a quick way to enter the "cents" symbol, come to think of it).  They'll still be available through Kindle, as I want to keep the option open for readers to comment and review on the Amazon site.

The stories will be available in various formats: MOBI for the Kindle, EPub for the Nook (and others), and PDF for those without eReaders.  Ideally, you would select which format upon purchase, and your "shipping address" would be an email.  I'm still researching the logistics of this, but I hope to have the ability to have the site automatically send the file to the designated address.

I will most likely be using Wordpress.  My friend told me about a free add-on they have for this sort of thing.  My only concern is how to receive payment.  If I use PayPal, they will charge me a "small" fee of 2.9% plus a 30 cent processing fee.  This might not sound like much until you figure that, for a $1 purchase, this is about 33% of my profits.  I'm hoping I can find a fee-less option, but somehow I doubt I will.  Nothing is free in this world.

I even came up with a clever name for this endeavor (well, I think it's clever): Short Attention Span Epublishing, or SASE.  See what I did there?

I'll be sure to keep you posted on how it works out.  If it looks like it could catch on, I'll probably work out a method by which I offer the use of the site to other authors.  Not sure if I will ever expand beyond short stories, but you never know.

Publishing

I feel compelled to make a second blog post today. Partly from something I mentioned in my last post, but largely from something that I just read in the news.

Authors are being screwed. Okay, so this is not news. Authors have always had to struggle to get their piece of the publishing pie. But things are getting worse and worse. Publishers are taking a larger and larger bite, leaving a slimmer slice for the writer.

You know, the guy (or gal) WHO ACTUALLY PRODUCES WHAT THEY SELL!?!

For some recent details, read this New York Times article.

The gist of it is, Publishers, with their (laughable) marketing departments, Photoshop Art Direction Departments, and their Mafia-like distribution fleets, are taking more and more of the cover price on your average book for themselves. The net effect is that the writers are left with the table scraps.

Does this seem wrong to ANYONE who isn’t a writer???

Here is what I am considering doing. I have the means to produce eBooks in a variety of formats, including MOBI, which is readable on the Kindle. What if I were to self-publish all of my own work, and sell it directly? Say you own a Kindle, and you want to read my latest short story. You can go to Amazon, pay $.99, and have it electronically delivered to your Kindle device. Or…

You could go to my site, pay $.99 thru PayPal, providing me with your Kindle's email address, and I could send the story in MOBI format directly to your device. For you, the difference is a slightly longer purchasing process (probably about as long as ordering a print book to be delivered). But for me, I get paid $.99 rather than $.35 for your purchase.

Additionally, I could produce it in other formats for other eReaders, or even in PDF, just to read on your computer (or print out if you are so inclined).

And then, what if my site (which could be ad-driven) was available to other authors so they can also provide their books for sale in the same manner? Honestly, I would be willing to convert the files and email them out, or send the files to the authors so they can email them out, for free. I put that Avenger collection together in about an hour, and that included using Photoshop to cobble together a decent cover. Had I had the cover art already done, the time would have been about 10 minutes, all together.

I can already see the disadvantage here. Even though “marketing” is almost non-existent by the publishing houses, it still exists to a degree. So, my biggest obstacle would be how to drive traffic to my site. Obviously search engines, sites like Goodreads, and social media. And really, would it take much more than that?

I may look into this. I would probably start it out as strictly a place to offer short stories. But that could be a niche market, no? I’m sure I am overlooking some issues. But, something needs to be done. And these are just some thoughts.

Why is this important to me, since I produce so little writing of my own? Well, because I have friends who are writers, and this new trend in “Going in dry” publishing is going to hurt them. And I don’t like people hurting my friends.

Pulp Adventures!

As most of my friends know (or at least should), I am a huge fan of the pulp adventure stories of the 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. “More than” human heroes, dastardly villains, loyal sidekicks, Superscience, guns and fists. These are the things that I love to read about. Sure, I loves me some epic fantasy, some modern techno-thrillers, and even the occasional non-fiction work. But, really, the Pulps kind of form the backbone of my tastes, especially these days.

Maybe it’s because the world was more innocent; more black and white. You knew when someone was a villain, and you knew when someone was a hero. And if your character was on the side of justice, well they could hardly do wrong in that pursuit. In this day and age, sometimes those lines get fuzzy.

I also like that Pulp is practically a genre unto itself. The stories of the age can dash across many literary genres; fantasy, science fiction, mystery, historical. But, regardless of that, they are all considered “Adventure” fiction. And I think that’s the key. In these stories; stuff happens.

The narrative voice doesn’t beat you down with excessive amounts of internal dialogue, philosophical pondering, or verbose background infodumps. What you do get is action prose, laced with enough information that you know what’s going on, and who’s doing it. The best writers were able to blend the details with the action, keeping the pace going. Some of the lesser in skill seemed to struggle with this. But, thanks in large part to the word-limits, they often were forced to keep their descriptions brief.

Which leads me to another reason I like them: brevity. I just do not have the time to read doorstopper novels. And when you add that lack of time to the fact that I just don’t read very fast, it would take me the better part of a year to wade through something that GRRM writes. Plus, I tend to get easily lost in the myriads of subplots, and the subplots of those subplots. And do I really need to know every detail of the eating habits of the nobility? Apparently, I could never be a Jedi, because I DO crave adventure and excitement. Especially when I am reading.

I am happy to see that the whole “Pulp” idea is making a comeback. Between eReaders, and publishers like Airship 27, the supergenre of Pulp Adventure is making a comeback. But for some of us, not only is time tight, but so is money. So, how do we get our Pulp fix? Well, I do spend a lot of time perusing used books stores for collections. But sometimes, that’s not enough. That’s when my morals get a little hazy and I head over to Project Gutenberg – Australia.

Copyright laws in Australia are much more lax than here in the states. So, some fiction from the early 20th century that may be copyrighted here, is public domain there. And you can read the texts of a lot of fiction there for free. But, even though this is morally questionable, I do have a few standards; I don’t download fiction that is available in print unless I have already purchased a print version. For instance, I own print copies of almost every Robert E. Howard story. So, I don’t feel bad for using the text at Gutenberg to create eBooks so I can also read them on my Kindle.

However, sometimes I want to read something that I can’t find anywhere in print. Case in point recently is The Avenger. Gutenberg has several of the original stories from the 40’s, and after fruitless searches for reprints, I decided to download a few and create an eBook. I figure it’s not really a violation if I’m not distributing it freely, or for profit. It’s just for me.

Anyways, these are my random thoughts on the adventure fiction of the Pulp Era. I swear, if I ever become a teacher, and I teach a class on 20th Century Literature, there will be a section in my curriculum on the Pulps.

R.I.P. Mr. Ebert

When I was younger, mainly in the 1980's, I was just becoming a movie-phile.  When I moved to Okinawa, I discovered a whole new world of movies on Video, and I was glued to the TV for much of my high school years.  During that time, I would watch Siskel & Ebert just to see previews and clips, since FEN didn't air commercials.

My oldest distinctive memory was when they reviewed Rambo: First Blood part II.  Gene Siskel gave it a thumbs up, but Roger Ebert gave it a thumbs down.  From then on, I had a hate-on for him, and for years I would see film-critics as snobby hacks who judge movies based on a single set of criteria, without any thought given to the genre, like Roger Ebert.

Well, for the most part, that view of film-critics in general has remained, and I still believe that it's largely true.  However, in Roger Ebert's case, I slowly started to understand where he was coming from.  I figured out that what he was doing was holding film to a higher standard, in the hopes of influencing the film industry.  Not sure if I agree with him, even now.  And I think he was misguided and maybe a bit narrow-minded.

But what was important was that he stuck to his principles, and even though I rarely agreed with his views of any given movie, sometimes I actually did (though I recall back in the old days I agreed with Gene Siskel much more often).  As he got older, he seemed to open up a bit, and start to watch movies for their entertainment value, rather than strictly their aesthetic value.  So that, in the end, I found myself agreeing with his views more often (though still not always).

So, now that both halves of Siskel & Ebert are gone, I can lay to rest a bit more of my youth.  And bid a fond farewell to a man of integrity and class (even if he was wrong about Rambo).

Edit:  Apparently I misremembered Ebert's view of Rambo, and I apologize to Roger.  Though they both criticized the details and the politics, they both gave it a thumbs up.  Although during his description of the film, and its predecessor, First Blood, Roger misstates a lot of the facts of the films' stories.  You can watch the full episode here:

http://siskelandebert.org/video/WB7X91HDRMXU/Rambo-First-Blood-II-Brewsters-Millions-Pumping-Iron-2-1985-ATM

Magic Noir

Many, many moons ago, there was an article in Dragon Magazine (back in the ancient, "print" days) that talked about alternate types of worlds to set your D&D game in.  The one idea that caught my attention was having a typical "fantasy" world, such as Greyhawk, go through an industrial revolution.  The idea totally intrigued me, and I immediately thought of the idea as a means of creating a unique setting for fiction.  So, I set about putting my old, generic fantasy world of Ameron through the paces of industrialization.

I first decided that, in order to truly experience an industrial revolution, a world largely fueled by magic would have to lose that magic.  So, I decided that in ancient times, the world was dominated by mages, with Elves being at the apex due to their magical heritage.  Then, during a great war between arch-wizards, a mass-destruction spell was used to dire effect.

When the spell went off, a large portion of the main continent was laid waste.  But, more than that, magic seemed to be "sucked dry" for lack of a better term.  Now, wizards couldn't even summon enough power for a simple cantrip.  Additionally, the Elves had disappeared.  When the masses realized that their oppressors were either gone or powerless, they stormed the towers and castles.  And a new Dark Age of the Sword was born.

Jump forward about 1500 years, and Ameron has developed to a point in technology, economics and politics roughly analogous of the early 21st century, but with the politics of the 80's (Cold War era).  However, about fifty years prior, it was discovered that secret sects of magic-users had been using magic in the shadows.  It seemed that magic had not disappeared, but had been weakened to the point of dormancy.  Since magic was generated by the very planet itself, for the past centuries, the power had been slowly regenerating.

There are many other details involved, such as the Elivann, descendants of Half-elves, who did not disappear due to their mixed heritage; Dwarves, who retreated to their underground kingdoms and developed the first technologies that would eventually spark the industrialization; the various races of Orcs, Goblins and Ogres who were herded into a large expanse of land, where they interbred and created their own nation.

So, at the present time, magic and technology co-exist.  However, in order to prevent the catastrophe that came before, magic-use is highly regulated and restricted.  Certain practices are outright forbidden, such as demon-summoning.  And this is where the "Noir" angle comes in.

My first story involved an illegal summoning, and the detectives who are trying to solve it.  However, my first attempt was kind of dry in flavor, though rich in detail.  Then yesterday, out of the blue, I had the idea of tackling that story from a first person perspective, with the narrative being like that of a Noir Detective story.

My problem is, I haven't read any Noir fiction, and have only seen a few films and shows in the genre.  In my head, my main character seems very much like The Spectre's human alter-ego, Jim Corrigan from the DC Showcase short film, voiced by Gary Cole (by the way, I highly recommend seeing that if you get the chance).

So, if I decide to pursue this, I will probably start with seeing some Noir films, and reading some pulp detective fiction.  Anyone have any good suggestions?  I'm primarily looking for stories in first person narrative, or films with the main character doing voiceover during the story.

Long awaited adventure

This weekend Xbox Video was offering the film Soloman Kane for free. For the uninitiated, Solomon Kane is a character created for the pulps by Robert E. Howard. Solomon is basically a puritan who wanders the world, fighting demons, witches, and other evils from the beyond.

I have to first admit that I have only ever read one or two stories about Kane. I have the old Baen collection of his stories, and I recall reading the first couple from that. From these, and from other sources, I would classify the Kane stories as Horror Adventure. The mood is dark and grim, with the damnation of souls often hanging in the balance. Not my usual fare, as I am not a huge fan of Horror as a genre. However, like the Conan stories, Kane triumphs over evil, often with the prodigious use of steel.

The movie was very good. Excellent special effects that weren’t overused; basically, just for the supernatural elements, as they should be. The fights were well-done, and exciting. The acting was beyond superior. But then, James Purefoy (Kane) can really do no wrong. He is one of my favorite actors. The story was good, if a bit predictable. But it didn’t really have many huge plot holes, at least that I could see.

If I were to have any criticisms, I would say that the narrative dragged in places. I get that they were going for characterization and suspense, but the timing of these bits seemed to be wrong somehow. Also, the film suffered from an overuse of slo-mo shots set to dramatic music. But none of these really detracted from the quality of the film as a whole.

This film should have been a big hit. It had all of the right elements in place. But, as happens with a lot of genre films lately, it suffered setbacks behind the scenes (*cough* John Carter *cough*). It was never released theatrically in the States. And there was some kind of delay on a video release for months and months. Sadly, these will probably combine to effectively bury the film, and dash any hopes of a sequel. Which is really too bad, as the story was obviously set up with sequels in mind.

Be that as it may, it has kind of inspired me to read more about the character. I have the recent Del Rey edition.  I might even revisit an idea I had for a similar character.