Observations From the Roof of a Building

It's Closin' Time...

2006-10-12T22:03:00.000-04:00

Well, not exactly closing time, but... this location is gonna be going the way of the dinosaur now.

That's right, I'm moving my blog. Getting kinda sick of Blogger and all of the problems I've been having with it, so I'm switching to WordPress. And a friend was nice enough to give me a spot to host it, so here's the new url for any loyal blog readers:
http://www.xreal.org/rooftop

It solves a little bit of a problem for me. Wanted something that was a little closer to a personal page, but I didn't want to get a whole new domain and design a web template. So, there ya go. I'll keep this one live so people can read the archives if they so desire, but I won't be updating it anymore. So I'll leave another blog langishing in cyberspace, basically. ;-)

See ya'll over at the new spot.
Jules <><

To Quote a Famous Person...

2006-10-12T10:39:00.000-04:00

I'll have a blog post of more substance up later. But for now, I happened to add a new quote to my list of favorite quotes and thought I'd share 'em with ya. If you have any honorable mentions, feel free to share them. As anyone who's read the Shadow Fox books can attest to, I love a good quote.

"I reject your reality and substitute my own." - Adam Savage

"If, after I depart this vale, you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner and wink your eye at some homely girl." - H. L. Mencken

"Anything the world can do, we can do five years later and not as well" - Doug Wilson

"Writing is a socially acceptable form of schizophrenia." - E.L. Doctorow

"And I am a comic creator, it's not a stepping stone to anything but the midnight shift at Wendy's." - Brian Michael Bendis

"If the doctor told me I had six minutes to live, I'd type a little faster." - Isaac Asimov

"It is impossible to discourage the real writers - they don't give a damn what you say, they're going to write." - Sinclair Lewis

Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Snow White Queen" by Evanescence

It's Heeeeerrreee.....

2006-10-05T00:10:00.000-04:00

Issue #2's back from the printers and ready for order.

Highlights of the day include:
- Waiting for the UPS man until 5 PM and nearly kissing him when he arrived, after threatening to steal his truck and do wheelies with it a few minutes prior. (Ok, why is it that when you're really, really expecting a package they wait until the very last minute to deliver it?!)
- Talking to Jedi Master Penciler on the phone and discovering that, while I knew he was cool beforehand, he's cool x 5 now. Wow... talk about a really awesome time. Nitty and I had so much fun talking to David. Only took us, like, seven months to finally call the guy.
- Emailing everyone and their second cousin's grandmother's best friend to tell them about Issue 2. Can you tell I'm excited? Huh? Huh?

Laying off the caffeine for now,
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix

Sour Grapes

2006-10-03T15:20:00.000-04:00

Boston... not in the MLB postseason.
Philadelphia... not in the MLB postseason.

Depressing as heck, but something put a little smile on my face this morning.

ESPN is advertising for the postseason games and has a new spot featuring Tommy Lasorda as he talks a depressed Boston fan out of the bathroom (where she has locked herself in). The words of wisdom that cause her to finally come out and join the rest for some postseason watching?

(Paraphrased) "Remember... October is the month to root for the team playing the Yankees."

Had to laugh at that one. ;-)

Go Twins! (For Nitty's sake.)
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Sweet Sacrifice" by Evanescence

Let the Big Beat Hitcha

2006-09-28T19:27:00.000-04:00

Updated the radio.blog with some new tunes and decided to make this one an electronica playlist, by popular demand. Big h/t to Micah for some of the tunes on this list. The rest are from my personal collection.
One note: "Pretty Little Thing" by Fink isn't technically electronica, but it fit in where I positioned it in the playlist (whether or not it uploaded that way is another issue... lol). I love this tune and have been looking for somewhere to slip it in, so there ya go.

Peace, doods.
Jules <><

Writerly Type Stuff

2006-09-25T08:09:00.000-04:00

Before I begin... c'mon, guys, help me out. Hard rock playlist or a classic rock one? Had a playlist put together of tunes I listened to while writing the vamp book, but then grimaced at 'em and decided no one would be interested in them besides me. ;-)

Ok, moving on...

Well after 90,000 words and one month (less than, in fact... one month would have been the 27th), The Vampire Flynn is finished... which is just one more weird thing in the Julie economy. Not only is it about 35,000 words less than the norm for me (wow, I finally wrote a book that's typical novel length), but... one freaking month?! What's up with that?! I've never been able to complete a NaNoWriMo challenge (and prolly won't be able to again this year even if I make a go at it), and yet this monstrosity came flying out in less than thirty days. But I am actually very happy with the way that it turned out, all said; tho this might be the final nail in the coffin as far as my reputation is concerned. (Bwuhahahaha)
Oh well. Just as long as you all don't think I've gone over to the dark side of the force or anything, it'll be all good. :-)

Anyway, lest ye think Scott Reilly and company have gone by the wayside... (Hmm... who would win in a fight; the superpowered master of the bo-staff, Scott Reilly, or the vampire bladesman, Peter Dawes? Man, having multiple protagonists rocks.) ...I restarted the third part of The Shadow Fox Chronicles and have dipped back into the mind of Andy Lane. Have a few obligations to attend to this week, but I've already managed to weasel out 2300 words of that project.
In related news, In the Shadow of the Flame is now up at Lulu, but not available for sale until I have a test copy in my hands, have read through it and corrected any errors, and even then I might ask one or two of you if you're game to read and critique. That is, if I can twist any arms. ;-) Might have to use force... or coercion... or a lot of begging and whining.

And I have also resumed reading now that I have to spend half of every Sunday service with Kerry in the church library (long story, but I, at least, get to sit through the service every second and fourth weekend and only miss half of it the remainder of the month)... and have discovered the library has a few books by Stephen Lawhead. Am picking through Taliesin and The Paradise War and kinda feel like a dunce for not having checked his work out sooner. Good reads. And I shall be finishing the Chronicles of Amber shortly thereafter, if I've not burned myself out on fantasy by then. ;-) (Don't foresee that happening; if anything it's given me some ammunition for penning something a bit more fantasy-esque myself.)

Well, off to see to responsibilities. In the meantime, keep rocking the hizzy, ya'll. I'll be somewhere between the pages of a book. ;-)
Peace,
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Vamos (Surfer Rosa)" by Pixies

This, By Far...

2006-09-21T00:07:00.000-04:00

... has got to be one of my favorite pics of Scott ever. The cover to In the Shadow of the Flame with full inks and colors.

(Click for a larger view).
I also have a version with the title stuff on it. Click here to view. Mmmm... good art. I'm getting an editorial print of the novel done this week, then I shall make sure everything's up to snuff for a release. :-)

Very happy, well-adjusted writer girl over here.
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Dare You to Move" by Switchfoot

Happy...

2006-09-19T08:49:00.000-04:00

... Talk Like a Pirate Day, me hearties! Shiver me timbers and let the scallywags walk the plank!

Arrrrr...
Cap'n Jules

Why Do It?

2006-09-16T18:04:00.000-04:00

Getting something off of my chest, so set phasers to rant. ;-)

Anyone who has ever endured any sort of persecution or misunderstanding - in ways both great and small - knows of the time when their peers and their loved ones have looked at them with wonder in their eyes. Not the wonder of admiration, but the looks that scream, "Why in the world would you put yourself through this. Why would you sacrifice/upset the status quo/move outside of the box in such a way? Why aren't you conforming like the rest of us?"

So, why would we do it? What sprite possesses someone to take a step off the beaten path and down the road less traveled.

We do it because we have to. There is a compulsion that has seated itself inside of us that tells us this, and only this, path will do. It may be a move of God, an act of obedience towards him - or more subtly may just be what He has hardwired into our circuitry that throws us headlong down a certain path. Whatever it is, we have no choice... we have seen the path, smelled the air, and taken one step forward that has dictated we cannot step backward again. Much like Christian, in Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress, we care more for the welfare of such a gift, such a need as walking down the path of unorthodoxy, than we do for the admiration of the rest of the world.

We do it because we're living out what abides in our souls. Sometimes without knowing it, we are realizing a purpose that has been given to us and us alone. This does not make us somehow more special than the rest, but it definitely paints a portrait of a divine creator who has such a tapestry of creation that He creates some whose purpose it is to be spectacles. Different. Weird, even, but called to be someone a bit less conventional whatever the case.

We do it because we cannot picture not doing it. What a strange world it would be if we couldn't wake up in the morning and fulfill the compulsion I spoke of above. What a life half-lived might that be. Yes, our beds are safe and our boxes secure, but if everyone resided within the status quo, then our lives would be utterly without color and form. Who would write the songs that spoke to us? The books that teach us? The paintings that inspire us?

We do it because God demonstrates His glory through us, and this is the most important reason. As much joy as it brings us to do what we do, we know it's not about us, but about living out one act in a grand-sweeping play being produced by the creator of all things.

We do it because we have not learned how to compromise.

And I pray to God we never do.

Jules <><

P.S. - To explain... had a rough day today and just got a figurative slap across the face from the mother in law. Thanks for letting me indulge in a little decompression.

Currently Listening to: "Fly From The Inside" by Shinedown

I Love the Smell of Good Art in the Morning

2006-09-14T07:44:00.000-04:00

Smells like comic books. <g>
That's page six of Issue 4, if the file name didn't give it away.

Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "More Human Than Human" by White Zombie

Woopah! New Post.

2006-09-13T14:21:00.000-04:00

Ok, this one goes out to Hobs and Micah, who were about to jump off of a bridge if I didn't start focusing on the sunny side of things. ;-)

Trying to blog impromptu is a bit harder than it looks. But here's my meager attempt at doing so:

- First of all, we finally got the second issue into the printer. Note to any aspiring comic creators... do not stay up until 3:30 AM preparing printer files if you must get up at 6 to get kids to school. As figgy puts it, 'Bad juju.' Took me a day to recover.
Doing the pre-order thing on the site, but I'll give a holler out when the printer's shipping the books our way.

- 50,000 words into the vampire book and I've finally cracked and asked an artist for a depiction of the main character. You knew this was coming.
Was gonna hold off, but an artist on d-Art was desperate for commissions and I figured it was as good of an excuse as any. We shall see what comes of this, bwuhahahaha.

- Mach-dude, on the other hand, is helping put form in a couple of character concepts I have for a graphic novel. Not much to tell you about it now, aside from the fact that it's a cross between V for Vendetta and Final Fantasy. Best way I can describe the concept. I'll post more on this soon but at least this and the vamp book prove I am capable of writing something other than a Shadow Fox book. (I think. We'll see, I guess... lol.)
But here's Mach's take on the main female character, tentatively named Dahlia.

- My freaking roof is leaking right now!!! Someone send help immediately!!

Ok, that's all the news that's fit to print for now. :-) Better?
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Meanwhile, Rick James..." by Cake

In Memory of Sandra Patricia Campbell

2006-09-10T17:19:00.000-04:00

I'll be keeping this post up on the top of the page for a few days, in tribute to the people who lost their lives on 9/11/2001.

I can still tell you exactly what I was doing when I heard the news.

Many people have called it the Kennedy assassination of my generation - the destruction of the World Trade Center towers; the lives lost there as well as at the Pentagon and on a field in the middle of rural Pennsylvania. I used to think this was an apt comparison until reading, recently, that after only five years we've already managed to dull our senses as a nation and have allowed the events of that day to fade from our consciousness like a distant echo in its last stages of resonating. But as for me, I still recall sitting down to read my email and seeing the explosion of posts on one of my discussion lists. I remember turning on the television and seeing the smoldering buildings. And I remember the tears I shed as I watched those towers go down on live television.

All said 2,996 people lost their lives that day. One of them was Sandra Patricia Campbell.

Sandra was a computer programmer, working on the 103rd floor of the north tower when it was struck. Many people have stated that anyone above the impact zone (she was only four floors above) had no chance of getting out as stairways were blocked and doors jammed shut. For two weeks I've tried to wrap my head around the experience of being trapped in a smoke-filled room, waiting for help without realizing none would be forthcoming. But as I read over the posts left in tribute of Sandra Campbell, I'm much more struck by the way she lived - even more so than the shocking and tragic way that she died.

Sandra was remembered by friends and family as a loving, compassionate woman with a burden for others. On the morning she died, her godson called thank her for the gift of a bookbag and his appreciation delighted her so that she pledged, "I'm going to buy him two more." Rather than taking for herself, she would forego vacations and time off to put her daughter through college and to give money to friends. Sandra was often the type to make due with last year's coat if it meant that she could do something for someone else and a true testimony to her generosity was her willingness to pay for her mother's medications, a total that came to $150 every month. This was "just Sandra" said Gladys Anderson, one of Ms. Campbell's aunts. It's very apparent from those who knew her that she will be missed for this spirit she carried with her until the day that she died.

"If I told her someone was in the hospital, she went," said Jacksie Smith, a friend. "The people didn't even know her, and by the time she walked out the door, they knew her."

And David Bellows adds:

"May you rest with the Lord. I will miss your sense of humor, your smile, your personality - I am going to miss you forever. You were a true friend. I love you in the Lord..."

That our lives could all be marked with this testimony; that when we are remember by those we left behind, our legacy is marked by selflessness and love. This is exactly how Sandra Campbell has been remembered, one of the many voices that continue to speak to us from September 11, 2001.

Read Sandra's tributes:
September 11 Victims - Sandra Patricia Campbell
Helpful Was Her Only Gear
September 11 Memorial - Sandra Patricia Campbell

Soul Patrol!

2006-09-07T18:04:00.000-04:00

This record is gonna be awesome.

Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Somebody Told Me" by The Killers

New Playlist

2006-09-07T14:16:00.000-04:00

Gots a new playlist on my radio.blog of some of my current fav. indie/alt rock tunes. The last song is a bit off the beaten path, tho, but I thought it rounded off the semi-weirdness that is indie rock with something a little funnier. It's a song that my buddy Carrie gave me (when she gave me Goodnight Moon) and it gets stuck in your head like peanut butter. Enjoy!

Gonna put up a hard rock playlist sometime in the near future if anyone has any requests, but in the meantime, Breaking Benjamin's new disc Phobia is killer. (Thx, David!) Have had that baby on repeat, especially when writing the vamp story.

Back to novel formatting. (Don't ask me how that's going. Just know it's gettin' done.)
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Dance With the Devil" by Breaking Benjamin

In the Shadow of the Flame Cover

2006-09-05T12:13:00.000-04:00

Is that not hot or what? (Click for larger view.) Pencils by my master penciler David Faught.

Shall have that book out, roughly, next month. In the meantime, I have sample pics for Issue 2 of the comic over at my deviantArt page (more of David's art) and am 34,000 words into my shorter project, the vampire book. (Warning... d-Art is not a family friendly website and I have a small sliver of the vampire book up there, which has strong language contained therein.)

Thank you, Lord. Life is sweet. :-)
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Honeybear" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Lazy Monday!

2006-08-30T21:37:00.000-04:00

You all have prolly heard of this by now, but I just discovered it today. Tho't I would share it with other people out of the loop:

Click here for the west coast answer to Lazy Sunday

Jules <><

Writing Binge

2006-08-29T13:00:00.000-04:00

It started innocently. I haven't flexed my writing muscles in a while and had a free evening, so I decided to do something I haven't done in a while - a freeform writing session. The idea is simple: You sit down, without any story or concept laid out ahead of time, crack your knuckles, and then you just start writing to see what comes out. It keeps the gears from getting rusty and it's just a fun thing to try, if only to see the weird stuff your subconscious comes up with.

Well, I started with a really odd statement and the prose that followed just became stranger and stranger, but an antihero protagonist started to develop from amidst the weirdness. By the time I finished, the story took a completely different twist and as I sat back and looked at what I had just written, I was blindsided by an entire story idea that I've been obsessively working on ever since. Four chapters (short ones) and 12,000 words later... I have what might be the beginning of a new book in the works. There's just one problem...

... I'm up to my eyeballs in work that has to be done this week, with no motivation to work on anything other than this story. Arg! I get like this sometimes, where I enter the writing haze and lose track of two or three days (sometimes as many as four) while I whip out a story idea that I have to get out right now. Giving in and getting it written usually draws it out of my system, but I'm nowhere near done getting it exorcised and I'm about to lose Day Two of this week.

On the plus side, I'm getting to mess around in an entirely different genre: horror. I've wanted to write a vampire tale for sometime now and it's a small breather from the Shadow Fox stuff (Don't worry, Scott, I'm not ditching you!) but it's a LOT darker than the stuff I typically write, which is what makes this even stranger. If I get to finish writing this one, it will eventually come around to the theme of redemption. I'm a sucker for that and not easily given over to the nihilistic, Frank Miller way of things. But still, I fear that if/when I release this one, ya'll are gonna think me especially messed up.

If you stone me, please be gentle. ;-)

Back to ditching responsibility for one final day before I hit crunch mode tomorrow and work my tailfeathers off on the comic.
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Forget It" by Breaking Benjamin

Friday Distraction

2006-08-25T12:18:00.000-04:00

Maybe this indicates I need help, but I found this very funny.
Bugs Bunny meets Miami Vice:

Jules <><

Firefly Quote of the Day

2006-08-24T08:41:00.000-04:00

One of my favs:

Zoe: "Preacher, don't the Bible have some pretty specific things to say about killing?
Book: "Quite specific. It is, however, somewhat fuzzier on the subject of kneecaps."

Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Call Me When You're Sober" by Evanescence

New Radio Bloggage

2006-08-23T13:47:00.000-04:00

Since Hobs updated his radio.blog I figured it was time for me to as well. Visit his blog for some great silly songs. :-) As for me, I decided against either the hard rock or classic rock playlists (they will surface eventually) and this time took a trip into the esoteric.

The tracks on this radio.blog are all some more off-beat or obscure tunes (for the most part), or are somehow not exactly mainstream even if they've enjoyed (like "Crazy") a degree of popularity. (I still marvel that Gnarls Barkley has become as popular as they are. But, anyway...)
So, featured I have such acts as Kings of Leon, the Raconteurs, Fleming & John, Weezer, and TMBG. (Hobs has the Presidents of the USA tune I'd have put in here, so I won't be redundant.) I also have a couple of tunes from a group called Shivaree that my buddy FlameGirl turned me on to ("Goodnight Moon", btw, was on Kill Bill, Vol. 2) and an obscure 90's alt rock tune from Tracy Bonham called "Mother, Mother". (Everytime I call my mother, I feel like singing this song. It encapsulates the internal debate between raging out at the state of my world and telling her what she'd probably prefer to hear.) Rounding off the playlist is one of my favorite tunes by Cake (I'd have put Comfort Eagle, but I *know* I've put that on a playlist at least once) and a very odd track by a group called The Avalanches that features a remix of different audio clips and such. I really get a kick out of it.

Anyway... enjoy! I shall change this around, well... we'll see. ;-)
Jules <><

This Is What I Miss...

2006-08-22T07:56:00.000-04:00

... when I don't go to Wizard World Chicago.

Kevin Smith debates telling guests of WW Chi what kind of project he's tackling next. So, how does he settle it? With a game of rock, paper, scissors. <g>
Huge language warnings. (This *is* Kevin Smith after all.)

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Hush" by Deep Purple

Choco-Mary

2006-08-21T11:14:00.000-04:00

At the risk of offending (which is what I do best), the recent hooplah over a chocolate "shaped like the Virgin Mary" has inspired my funny bone a little bit, and I wanted to invite you all to join in the merriment. I'm coming up with slogans for the "Choco-Mary Confectionary Company" and this is what I have so far...

"Choco-Mary: The Immaculate Confection"
"Choco-Mary: Indulge Yourself"
"Choco-Mary: Blessed Among Chocolates"

What do you guys got?

Jules <><
Currently Listening to: "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin

Say It Ain't So!

2006-08-18T10:10:00.000-04:00

Why, Mark Bagley?! Why???

Bagley and Bendis have been like peanut butter and jelly. 110 issues, the same creative team, which is an incredible feat and does something to the dynamic of the comic book. (Believe me, I'm discovering after only two books what a difference it makes when you know your collaborator as you pen a script.) I know change is inevitable, but... damn, this news still depresses me.

Plus, the release dates on Marvel's Civil War are all being pushed forward. Less depressing news and totally understandable (it's just taking Steve McNiven longer than expected to pencil the issues and Marvel doesn't want to throw on 'jump pencilers' to aid to the effort), but still... it means it's going to be a while before we see what becomes of this huge fiasco in the Marvel 'verse.

*sigh*
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Evil Angel" by Breaking Benjamin

When Last We Left Our Hero

2006-08-14T23:13:00.000-04:00

... she was working on In the Shadow of the Flame, coloring and lettering From Darkness to Shadow, Issue 2, and generally trying to keep her family clean, fed, and sane. Has she finished the book yet? When *will* Issue 2 come out? And why are her children running around naked and screaming? Let's rejoin our hero as she stands in the middle of this insanity with a cup of coffee in one hand, and a comic book in the other...

Ok, so it's been a while since I've updated you all on what's hopping at Casa Del Staples, so here's a brief set of updates. And, btw, yes the Barry Manilow threat was an idle one. Tho I may download "Copacabana" and change the name of the file just to psych you all out. ;-)

1. In the Shadow of the Flame is edited! Now I just have to finish a very small rewrite of the final epilogue and git her formatted and she's in the history books. I'm slating the release date for the book as October so that I have time to print one book and check for typos (not making that $80 mistake again... don't ask) and to also give David (w00t, David!) time to pencil a cover for this. The latter thing was a last minute decision, mainly because when I find a penciler that I love working with, then I want to give him as much of the attention as possible and David can conjure up some really sweet looking shots. More on that to follow...
But for those of you who have been asking me when the second novel will see the light of day, then there ye be!

2. From Darkness to Shadow, the series is moving along much, much, much better than I had anticipated in some regards... and in other regards it's caught in a patch of Alabama clay and the tires are spinning. I've told you all of our problem over here - Jason and I are doing the work of four people and some of the most time-consuming work (shading the flat colors) takes forever to finish when one is balancing a full time job on top of it. But, we're nearing the end and Issue 2 shall finally be released, we're approximating, on September 15th. I will let you all know when we've opened the gates for pre-orders.
But I have been uber thrilled with David's work on the book. Issue 3's pencils are finished and he's taking a short breather before launching into Issue 4 and his work continues to floor me the more he goes along.

To give you an example of what I mean, let me show you select few people who actually read this thing a look at the last page of Issue 3. If I had a large readership, I wouldn't do this, but since you all are my compadres, I'll letcha look. Note that this page does have a couple of changes slated, but just *look* at the quality of the artwork there. It's amazing:
Click here to peek..

I cannot wait to see that in a book.

3. Cassidy starts second grade and Kerry moves on to a new school this year. *sigh* In the meantime, Jason and I have discovered we've spawned a child prodigy in Princess Peanut (aka: Ainsley). Maybe it's just that we had the boys first and even Cass was a *little* on the late side of normal, but Lady A's 7 month birthday is on Wednesday and she's already:
- Sitting up.
- Crawling.
- Trying to come to a stand, and is successful a handful of times.
- Walking with assistance. (Taking nice steps as you hold her hands in front of her.)
- Saying 'na', 'da', 'ma', and 'ba'.

She also adores her older brothers and has the best smile in the world. I'll post more pictures in my Flickr account either Tuesday or Wednesday, as time allows. (Have a couple of web projects to attend to and the formatting for the novel to finish.)

So, that's our life of insanity for you. But we're loving every minute of it!
See you in the funny books,
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "The Diary of Jane" by Breaking Benjamin

Radio Blog Dilemma

2006-08-11T12:55:00.000-04:00

Ok, trying to decide on the next playlist...
Classic rock or Hard rock?

You guys decide. Failure to vote will result in a Barry Manilow playlist. ;-)

Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Show Me How to Live" by Audioslave

Fun With Chick Tracts, Pt. 1

2006-08-10T22:02:00.000-04:00

Because these things beg to be mocked. ;-)
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "I Dare You" by Shinedown

Knights of the Star Trek Table

2006-08-07T08:40:00.000-04:00

Laughed my posterior off. (Thx, MDH!)

Jules <><

Yo, Digital Artist Friendses

2006-08-04T12:57:00.000-04:00

Need some help from my Photoshop artist posse.

Shading the colors for the comic is proving to take an obscene amount of time for poor Jason, who just got done inking the entire second issue and is now racing to have to shade my flat colors in a timely manner so we can finally get this book to the printer. Long story short, I'm trying to learn how to shade flats so I can try to take on all of the coloring duty and let Jason just focus on inking.

If any of ya'll know of books or tutorials that are helpful in honing ones' skills in shading, then I'm all ears. ;-) I just got a small book from Blue Line Pro, but I don't know of anything else.

Thx!
Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Sad But True" by Metallica

On A Less Serious Note

2006-08-03T16:00:00.000-04:00

Mmmm... more MST3K!

Not quite like a day at the convention, but... oh well. ;-)

"...You Had a Bad Day..."

2006-08-03T13:47:00.000-04:00

I have to confess that I'm the kind of person prone to eating sour grapes.

I've been pretty bummed all week about the fact that this weekend is Wizard World Chicago, and for the first time in three years, I'm not going to be exhibiting this year. The fact is, though, that I could have brought Ainsley up there - she behaved just fine at Heroes Convention. But I also held back because we're still in production mode around here and don't have anything new... yet.

That being said to note that my gloomy mood has contributed towards a generally sucky attitude. I've been tired. I've been grumpy. I've been short with everything, including myself, and this was only made worse when I happened upon a snippet of a comic script written by Brian Bendis that read so well and made my work look so amateur hour in comparison. Here I am, trying to letter Issue 2 and put the finishing touches on the second book, and I'm doubting my abilities as a writer.

It makes you look at all of the lost sleep and wonder why you do it if you can't write dialogue like Bendis and Whedon. Doesn't matter how good or bad it really is - it's not theirs and so you're inferior because of it.

And so I feel really stupid for that inferiority complex, I'm kicking myself because of my mood, and I've been repenting over my attitude towards fellow believers lately, which has stemmed from another inferiority complex. (But what else is new there, I'm always getting a Christian inferior complex. But that's a blog rant for another time.) Put all together, I've just been a bit unraveled the past couple of weeks.

It's funny how God can send you those moments of perspective, though, and I had one of those today.

First, I got IMed by a dear friend and fellow believer who's like a big sister to me. (I've known her for over five years now.) Maggie's the kind of woman who loves God with all of her heart, but fails to see any pretenses she needs to take on in order to be deemed a Christian by the world at large. And we were able to chat with each other while being real - she doesn't scoff at me because of my vocabulary, she doesn't care that I smoke on occasion, and she's quick-witted and supportive. We only chatted briefly, but it was a good chat and made me think of how many other people I have in my life like her. As much as I feel like the heathen in the midst of my church, I've got other buddies who look just like me and understand what it's like to love Christ without feeling you need to adapt to a legalistic culture to prove it. And I feel sincerely grateful for them right now.

Secondly, I got one of the most encouraging emails from my penciler David, and that was what spurred me to post this blog message. I confided in him and in my hubby how I've been feeling about my writing abilities as of late and... you know, Nitty (Jason) loves me and encourages me, but he's my husband, he has to do that. ;-) So hearing Nitty tell me how much he believes in me doesn't often have the impact that it should. (I shouldn't be so dull to the encouragement of my husband. However, it's the first thing we really take for granted, isn't it?)
But, David honed in on something that you have to be in the thick of this in order to understand. You love comics... eat, breathe, and live them. Your life feels a step closer to completion (in a secular sense) when you create them and it brings a smile to your face when you see somebody loving your work and looking for more. Yeah, maybe a little bit of ego there, but mostly just a sense of fulfillment, and when you're busy beating yourself up, there's no fun in it at that moment.

Well, first of all it was a relief to hear I'm not the only one who kicks myself for 'not being x comic professional', but the more important message was his reminder that this is more than a destination, it's a journey. The fun comes in the ride along the way and in being able to start somewhere and improve from there. As he put it, the world has Brian Bendis and J. Scott Campbell right now. And someday, maybe they'll need a couple of Staples and a Faught. In the meantime, we three creators need to stop playing the comparison game and getting caught up in not being somewhere or something, when we're on a road and doing it our way. Seems like simple logic and wisdom, but I haven't looked at the journey in a long time, being too caught up in the destination, and I feel like I'm riding on a wave of clarity now.

In any event, I hope he doesn't mind me mentioning that, but it was something I needed to hear and I'm grateful to have the people I have in my life right now - friends and family alike. In some respects I've had to go through a lot of crap to find them, but now I have them and my life is better for it.

I guess God knows what He's doing when He takes us through some of the trials we endure, doesn't He?

Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "One Perfect Something" by Edgewater

Sniglet of the Day

2006-07-31T11:26:00.000-04:00

Amnowsia - N. The condition where one opens a browser window only to forget why they opened it in the first place.

Julie <><

Dinner at the Staples Home...

2006-07-28T13:19:00.000-04:00

... is anything but this. But you gotta love MST3K. :-)

Julie <><

Having... ISSUES!

2006-07-26T22:56:00.000-04:00

Issue #2's inks... DONE!
Issue #2's flat colors... Done tomorrow!
Issue #2 in the printer's... mid-August!
Issue #2 released... early September!

Issue #3's pencils... halfway done! (You rock, David!)

Can I get a w00t w00t?! :-)
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: Blade: The Series, playing in the background.

Radio Blog Update!

2006-07-26T11:09:00.000-04:00

That's right, I finally updated my radio.blog. After over 100 days on the playlist, I figured those tracks were way past their shelf life. Of course, I accidentally put one on this playlist that was on the previous one (oopsy), but we can never get enough Creed... right?

Seriously, this playlist is a themed one this time, hence the repetition and why Lakini's Juice is back on the map. I'm halfway through the edits for In The Shadow Of The Flame and thought I would post a few tracks that either I've listened to as I've written/edited the manuscript, or that just remind me of elements of the story. The opening track is "Gasoline". Nuff said right there.

This one isn't intended to last, so if you have any requests, I'd like to hear them. I just wanted to change things up a tad.
Peace, peeps.
Julie <><

P.S. - For the uninitiated, the radio.blog player is on the right side of the page, below all my linkage.

Currently Listening to: "Gasoline" by Kicking Harold

It's... Venom!

2006-07-24T08:32:00.000-04:00

The Spidey 3 site has been updated with two new wallpapers. :-)

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Remedy" by Seether

Ok, I'm Not a Microsoft Fan, But...

2006-07-21T19:22:00.000-04:00

... this was pretty funny:

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Cosmopolitan" by Nine Black Alps

Shadow Fox Mailing List

2006-07-18T16:13:00.000-04:00

Quick note to my posse...

I'm going to be sending out info to the Shadow Fox mailing list within the next week or two. If you're not a member of the mailing list and want to hop on, then email me at shadowfoxwriter@gmail.com and let me know. (Or you can comment on this post and I'll see it, but unless you want to set yourself up for spam bots like I just did, you might want to email me. Your call. ;-))

I seriously want to start getting people pumped up and make a massive push to get the word out once we have the second issue away to the printer. David has eight pages penciled in Issue 3 as I type this post, and we're all working terribly hard on the comic (not to mention the fact that I'm nearing halfway done with my book edits). So we be comin' out with a vengeance.

That is all for now. You may return to your regularly scheduled programming.

Jules <><

Currently Listening to: "Amnesia" by The Vines

Time Ain't on My Side

2006-07-14T19:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I've only posted a couple of random links in the last few weeks, so I thought I would do something of an update, to let my five readers know what's been happening while Observations... languishes into the land of Eric Nielsen blog-o-rifficness. ;-) (The #prosians know what I mean when I say that.)

So, what's been new for me?

Well, last week I was kidnapped by a trans-dimensional time traveler on his way to prehistoric France, but when we saw they still didn't bathe and had attitudes back then, we opted for a leap to Coney Island instead, where I threw him from one of the Ferris wheels. I guess he didn't see that coming. After that, there was a nasty rift in the space-time continuum I had to repair after I sold an old revolver to some guy named Jack Ruby and I came home to discover he shot a guy on national TV with it. Oops.

Seriously, work still continues at Casa del Staples. Among the highlights of recent days we have:
- All of the pencils for Issue 2 are completed, as are the first seven pages of Issue 3. David is truly an amazing guy... those of you who have known me for a while know what a pain it was for me to find a reliable collaborator and what a let down it was when the guy who did Issue 1 jumped ship. They say all things happen for a reason, though, and having the chance to work with someone as fun, eager, and humble as David has made all of the past headache all worthwhile. I hope we get the chance to work together for a while.
I'll post the first five pages as soon as they're all shaded but late September is the ETA for Issue 2. I'll let you know the exact release date as we get closer.

- I have the first three chapters of In the Shadow of the Flame edited... mostly. I have been known to make a few modifications as I'm formating it for the printer, but if anyone wants to read what's been done so far, here are a few pdf's for ya:

* In the Shadow of the Flame - Prologue to the First Half
* In the Shadow of the Flame - Chapter 1
* In the Shadow of the Flame - Chapter 2

Comments, as always, are welcomed. But if you're going to read them, just be forewarned that there's a little bit more strong language in this book than was in From Darkness to Shadow. I'm hoping to have In the Shadow... edited and in print by November-ish, but we'll see. It could be sooner.

- I changed the address to my writing blog. It's now at http://shadowfoxwriter.livejournal.com. Nothing much to see there at the moment, but I'll be putting stuff up there as the spirit moves me. ;-)

I think that's all for now. I have a new radio.blog playlist planned as well as some posts I want to work on as time allows. For now, keep rockin' the casbah. I'm out for now.
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Phenomena" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

For Blade Fans

2006-06-29T23:30:00.000-04:00

Anyone who likes Blade...
The pilot episode of the new Blade series is available on iTunes for free temporarily. Download now if you're interested.
My short review: Some things about it were problematic, but it has a lot of promise. I'll be watching the next episode.

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Anyway" by O.A.R.

On a Stick...

2006-06-29T23:19:00.000-04:00

Found this on YouTube... comedian Jeff Dunham cracks me up with his ventriloquist act. Warning, though, there's a tiny bit of language and adult content.

Spidey 3 Trailer!!!

2006-06-27T19:03:00.000-04:00

Yahoo!!!!!!

This is gonna rock.

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Chasing Cars" by Snow Patrol

Truth and Fiction

2006-06-26T00:58:00.000-04:00

I'm in the process of editing In the Shadow of the Flame and thought my fellow #prosians might appreciate this. This is how us writers get our inspiration for stuff:

Joe Torricelli? Automatically, the name springs forth a vivid mental image of a short, polished Italian man with dark hair. He's at least in his late thirties, possibly early forties, and while he represents a very prestigious district, his posture is that of someone who has had a few hard knocks in his life. There's no mistaking why the city council calls him "The Pit Bull", though. When he gets going, he's nastier than his snarling canine counterpart.

Anyone who frequents A&O Ministries guess where I got the idea to call Torricelli "Pit Bull"? ;-)

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Tangled Web" by Daily Planet

Where Have You Been?

2006-06-07T20:57:00.000-04:00

Wouldn't it figure that Blogger's down when I decide to update my blog? Oh well, shallwrite this in Notepad and post it later...

Well, aside from an homage to Philadelphia cheesesteak purveyors, I haven't had the time for much in the way of blogging so I thought I'd give an update. Things have been absolutely insane over here, including such highlights as...

1. Me becoming the Comics Editor for Infuze Magazine.
2. Our awesome penciler, David, completing over half of the book by now and me having to do the flat colors and letters for each page.
3. Editing In the Shadow of the Flame.
4. Tending for family.
5. Going insane.

I've also been messing around with the next few books in the Shadow Fox Chronicles when the spirit has moved me, so I decided to redo the word count meter, and this time give each book its own meter. They're on the bottom of the right column and, as you can see, I've done a bit in the last two books especially. I can't wait until you guys read those stories... they're the darkest and most intense books in the series, but the books that lead up to them are what make the last two pay off. (And I hope they're good stories in their own right.)

I wrote a couple of chapters in For the Love of a City over the weekend. To give you an idea, though, of what I mean when I say dark, here's a small bit from the end of of that book (with a small phrase removed so you don't know who he's talking about here)...

But, at the same time, I wish I was the same man I had been back then because these days my world is painted with so many shades of gray that it's hard to see much more than cynicism anymore. I'd sooner never utter another word again, however, than to squelch the (...) she carries around, so I keep the door open for her and hope that one day she doesn't see through my thin veneer to know my eyes are dull and my smoking is nothing more than slow suicide.

At the same time, I've also had the chance to use the book's darkness to say stuff like...

With a sigh, Scott walks over to his father's floor-to-ceiling bookcases and starts to scan the titles of each book.

Titles like Great Expectations, To Kill a Mockingbird, and A Tale of Two Cities jump out at him, as well as books about history, science, and geography. Next to this bookcase is another one, but this time the titles consist of books written by Nietzsche, Kant, and Barth with each man's vain philosophizing contained therein. Was there a God, what was He like... there was a time when Scott felt he knew the answers to these questions even if he failed to walk in light of this knowledge, but now his philosophizing would be just as vain as Descartes. Scott continues looking through the books, until his eyes settle on one and his fingers reach out to touch it.

The spine reads Pilgrim's Progress and as Scott pulls it out from the bookshelf, he recognizes it as the copy he once owned back when life was a bit more certain. "I wondered what had happened to this,” he says as he opens the front cover and turns the first few pages. "You must have put it in here when I moved away to college."

Scott looks up and over at the man standing in the doorway and regards his father somberly. Bob Reilly crosses his arms across his chest, but continues looking across the shadows at his youngest son and nods. "I remember giving it to you when you graduated from middle school," he says, though he seems to have no desire to walk into the study, opting instead to remain in his position. "And I've thought of giving it back to you a few times when it's seemed that you had lost your bearings."

Scott nods and looks back down at the book, reading the first few lines about Pilgrim and his heavy burden. He clears his throat, but doesn't look up towards his father. "It's funny, I thought I knew what a heavy burden was back when I was reading this book every other week."

"We all think we do when we're young men. But then reality smacks into us and we become old and cynical."

That's all rough, so it'll prolly be tightened up. But I felt like sharing it anyway.

Back to the salt mines! These pages ain't gonna color themselves. ;-) We'll be done with issue two and have it out by September, but here are pages 1-3 as a teaser:

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Is It Any Wonder?" by Keane

Go, Geno's!

2006-05-31T09:58:00.000-04:00

This just might make a convert out of this Pat's steaks fan.

(Thx, Hobs, for the link!)

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "In the Blink of an Eye" by Mercy Me

Web Findings

2006-05-24T09:40:00.000-04:00

Before I begin, one thing to get out of the way....

SOUL PATROL!!!!

Ok, I'm better. On a sorta related note, I started a little 'net expedition after listening to a few tunes from the American Idol: Season Five Encores disc. While I know the name Taylor Hicks will be indelibly burned on the canon of pop culture from here on out, I looked at the names Elliot Yamin and Chris Daughtry and wanted to make sure I didn't forget about them either. Lord willing, these two talented guys get to do some work of their own. (Not much fear as far as Chris is concerned. Fuel wants him if nothing else pans out.)

Well, on an impulse I looked up Chris's entry in Wikipedia, and discovered, much to my surprise, he was in a band back in Raleigh. Of course, I squealed with glee because this meant there was some music floating around I hadn't gotten a hold of yet, so I followed a link to his band, Absent Element, and sure enough.... they have an audio player and a disc that can be ordered in their merchandise section.

Regardless of how you feel about American Idol... if you like bands like Chevelle, Fuel, etc., then go here and load the audio player. You won't regret it. The tunes are solid, hard rock tunes and if Chris makes an album, I hope like heck this is the stuff he sticks to.

Ok, that's all. Thanks for humoring me once again. ;-)
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Weaker Side" by Absent Element

127,000

2006-05-22T07:53:00.000-04:00

I've finally discovered how many licks it takes to get to the Tootsie Roll center of a Tootsie Pop!

Seriously, that's the final, unedited, word count for book two as I am now, finally, finito. I had a couple of small segments and portions of a difficult chapter to wrap up, but now they're done and I get to walk away from the manuscript for a little while before I pick it back up and start the editing process. It's a good thing too, because page three is about to come across my desk ready to be colored. Now I can focus on that a lot better knowing In the Shadow of the Flame is fully finished.

And now for something completely different...

Ever wanted to win American Idol? Well, actor Kevin Spacey has a few tips for you fine folks out there. Personally, I think he left out screaming, "Soul patrol!" but that's just me. ;-) Enjoy!

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Maps" by Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs

I Nearly Died Laughing

2006-05-19T19:13:00.000-04:00

Thanks to bluewoad for the link!

Julie <><

The Making of a Comic, Pt. 3

2006-05-15T17:48:00.000-04:00

And then we have... letters!

I reserve the right, as the letterer, to adjust the dialogue on a whim. ;-)

One page down, twenty-one to go.
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Molly's Chambers" by Kings of Leon

The Making of a Comic, Pt. 2

2006-05-14T23:45:00.000-04:00

Ok, so when last we left our hero, we had pencils for pages 1-6, right? Taking page one, we'll move on to the next step: inks and colors.

To recap, here are the pencils:

Now... we have inks and colors:

Pretty wicked, eh? Next stop on our travels is letters. Stay tuned!
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Steady As She Goes" by The Raconteurs

Chris Daughtry and... Fuel?

2006-05-12T08:31:00.000-04:00

As stunned as I still am about Chris Daughtry being booted from American Idol, this article is a very good sign that while he may be down, he most certainly is not out. Ironically enough, the performance that sticks out most in my mind, when I think of Chris, is his rendition of "Hemmorhage (In My Hands)", so, hey, I wouldn't mind hearing this team-up.

Just as long as the guy is making music somewhere, I'm happy. But then again, you're also talking to the deranged individual who picked up Marty Casey's (Rockstar:INXS anyone?) new disc the day it came out, so... take this for what it's worth. (btw, Marty Casey & Lovehammers' self-titled is incredible. If you like rock, at least preview this one.)

Otherwise, in the Land of Idol, we're down to Taylor, Elliot, and Katherine. Man... talk about an unlikely threesome. As much as I dig Taylor, I didn't really expect the "Soul Patrol" would keep him going this long. But he best be careful of that car speeding up in his rearview mirror called "Elliot Yamin" because if Elliot repeats his last performance over the next two weeks, he'll give Taylor a run for his money.

Heh heh... boogie rendition of "Inside Your Heaven". Let's hope Taylor sticks to the stuff we heard on his pre-Idol tunes instead. ;-)

Inks for page one are finished, so it's time for me to get to coloring. Asta la pasta, peeps.
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "The Best of What's Around" by Dave Matthews Band

X-3 Preview Online

2006-05-12T08:12:00.000-04:00

I might be one of the few people who care, but the 7 minute preview of X-Men 3 is online now. My personal thoughts? I would have rather seen seven consecutive minutes of the movie than a seven minute montage. Still... it looks decent. Will have to wait for the reviews to come out before I decide whether or not to make an effort to see it in the theater.

Now, what I want to see in the theater is this. Kevin Spacey as Lex Luthor - doubt no more. :-)

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin

The Making of a Comic, Pt. 1

2006-05-11T21:23:00.000-04:00

So, once upon a time (two and a half years ago), I decided that I was going to become a comic book writer... which is akin to aspiring to become a crash test dummy. You have a basic idea what your job will entail, and while you're sure it's gonna hurt when you hit that wall, you have no idea how jarred around you're gonna get in the process. ;-)

To lapse into a bit of a confessional for a moment, first I have to add a disclaimer. I love every one of the people I've worked with so far dearly and still talk to them all as friends. Josie is a sweetheart and one of my best friends. Scottie is still one of the most intense and passionate artists I've ever met. And Tim really had something going that was just getting better the more he did it. And then, there's Torrance. Man... Tor. If I had a million dollars (no, I wouldn't buy a K car), after I bought the stuff to run my own publishing company, I'd hire Tor and give him whatever he wanted to work on a comic. There once was a day I'd say to work on my comic... as in the holy grail of all my pursuits, the one thing that I grab onto with both hands tightly no matter what other projects I'm involved in... From Darkness to Shadow. But then... I met David.

I obviously have trust issues when it comes to my collaborators by now, so rather than saying something that's going to end up jinxing me, I'll say this. David's new, but he's good... he's only going to get better... and one day if he has the dogged determination to do so, he's going to pencil for one of the big companies. Plus, he's been a funny, down-to-earth guy to work with and as my previous collaborators can attest to, having a sense of humor around these parts is a must. ;-) I hope that our collaboration lasts for at least a few issues. :-)

So, we have the beginnings of Issue #2. First comes the script, but next comes pencils. Here are a few pages for you to look at while we ink, color, and letter on our end. Then I'll show off how those look too. And, sorry, I'm only showing pages 1-6 until the comic is finished. So... pfft. ;-)

Click on the thumbnails to see some larger pics:

Oh, and if you want to see the script, to get a better feel for what's going on, you can find it here.

I'll keep you guys posted.
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Heard the World" by O.A.R.

Today's Cultural Moment

2006-05-11T16:50:00.000-04:00

Don't Just Sit There! Whine!

2006-05-11T13:54:00.000-04:00

Mark Cuban has to be one of my favorite people in the public spotlight right now. In case you don't know who he is, he's an entrepreneur who purchased the Dallas Mavericks a few years ago and has completely turned them around as a team. He's not a stuffy owner either - he watches the games from the floor instead of a skybox and has even been fined for getting a bit too... animated... during Mavericks games. That's the kind of owner you want seeing over your team. One with spunk. ;-)

Well, I read this one today, and thought my fellow upstarts might appreciate Mr. Cuban's sentiment in this blog post. Enjoy!

A highlight:

Whining is the first step towards change. Its the moment when you realize something is very wrong and that you have to take the initiative to do something about it. Sure, criticism usually comes along with the territory. Who cares ?

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Bus Driver" by Caedmon's Call

ACK!!

2006-05-10T21:36:00.000-04:00

Because I know some of you are stuck on the west coast, I won't say who got voted off American Idol tonight. All I can say is...

NOOOOOO!!!!!! WHY??!!!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHGGGGG!!!

Ok, I'm better now.
Julie <><

The Young and the Titleless

2006-05-08T18:08:00.000-04:00

Ok, time for an update.

So, I finished up the last chapter and the epilogue for In the Shadow of the Flame on Sunday evening, which leaves only a small portion of Chapter Eight and segments of Chapter Fourteen before the rough draft is in the bag. Hoping to get that done sometime this week. I'm going to put off uploading the Shadow Fox site, though, until after we get pages 1-5 of the comic inked and colored, so this way I can show off more of the new artist's work. So, in the meantime, I'm thinking about the next book in the series.

Yeah, I know, I can't start it yet because I don't have Pt. 2 all the way done, but I really need to find a name for this book. The default one I gave it is... eh... just ok. But I'd like to find something snappier.
The skeleton premise (full plot planning pending... say that one three times fast) has to do with Scott learning the full truth behind what happened to him and where McIntire's project came from in the first place. In the second book, he faced his first "equal" (in the metahuman sense of the word), but in the third, he's not only facing that, he's facing knowing more about his powers and the people behind it than I'm sure he'd care to know. There are a lot of big pieces in this book that will affect the next few parts of the chronicles, including the return of Colin Hall, Matt Barkley, and two other people from the first book; the arrival of Chris and Gianna; and the gub'ment poking their noses into what's going on in Philadelphia. Now, all I need is a title.

And no, I won't wait until after I finish it to name it... so there. And, yes, I was being deliberately obscure. I know at least two of you who are regular commenters have humored me and read the first book, so I'm operating on the assumption there's someone who cares about spoilers out there.

In any event, it was a huge relief to write that final line to In the Shadow... yesterday. Lord willing, this next story is nowhere near as difficult to write as this one had been. (Or, if it is, is as rewarding to finish as this one has been. ;-)) Now, to polish off those two chapter pieces and put this rough draft to rest for a while before I dive in to edit.

Adios, burritos,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Sleep Now in the Fire" by Rage Against the Machine

It's Alive... Alive!!

2006-05-08T16:08:00.000-04:00

That stock template was bothering me so darn much that I took the time out to not only fix the blog, but to make a whole new template. (Yeah, since I was dripping in copious amounts of time, right? Still can't help when the creative muse kicks you in the rear end a few times.) I'm still missing some links - and if I'm missing your blog on my blog roll, please, please let me know. But it's good to finally have this up and running in style again.

To celebrate, here's some more Looney Tunes... because you can never have enough Martians, right?

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Get Yourself High" by The Chemical Brothers

111,000

2006-05-06T08:39:00.000-04:00

The number of people from each tribe of Israel as found in Revelation?
The number of people who will be saved according to a new cult I've joined?
The number of times that I've beaten my head against my keyboard due to writer's block?

None of the above!

For those of you keeping track for whatever reason (I bet someone could structure a drinking game around the number of times I update this), I'm up to 111,000 words in my manuscript. Since this is only 9,000 words from my projected total of 120,000 words, then I should be in the home stretch, right? Well, yes and no.
I'm almost done with the final chapter *but* I skipped over some portions of the story, so I'll have to go back and write them before I'm finished. One of the scenes is the 'final climatic' scene, and while I love the way those turn out they are the hardest to write, so I'm saving it for last. Long and short of it is that I'll probably be closer to 125,000 words by the time I'm completely finished, which will get whittled down in editing.

Almost there! There is a light on the other side of the tunnel.

In other news, I'm going to get the template back up and running one of these days soon, but I have no idea when. I need to finish the Shadow Fox site update and have that up sometime soon and me only being one person with a family to take care of (and a manic compulsion to finish this story).... Well, the priority list is packed full. Add to that the fact that I am about to receive the first five pages of Issue 2.

I bees very busy, but it's a good kind of busy.

I'll show off pages as we finish 'em (w00t, color). But since I have to show off one of my babies to you all, check this out... A recent pic of Ainsley. Three and a half months old already. Where does the time go?

That's all for now, folks. Keep on rockin' the kasbah.
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "So Long, Jimmy" by James Blunt

Wishing a Fiery Death...

2006-05-01T18:32:00.000-04:00

... upon the powers that be at Blogger.

Ok, maybe not that bad, but, yes, you can see my template has gone kaput. Long story short, Blogger glitches erased half of my template when I tried to post the last post, so now I have to fix it. Oh well, gives me a chance to clean up some of the links.

Blarg for now,
Julie <><

Monday Looney Tunes Link

2006-05-01T17:07:00.000-04:00

Because everyone needs a break on Monday:

I'm Goin' to Disneyland!

2006-04-18T11:36:00.000-04:00

Just reached the probable halfway point of the book... 60,000 words! Eight chapters down... about eight more left to go.

Back to work. (I promise I'll get around to more substantive posts and actually answer my email faster soon.)
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Doesn't Remind Me" by Audioslave

Where Have the Past Three Days Gone?

2006-04-13T18:38:00.000-04:00

I've been meaning to post on this, but... well... I've been a bit indisposed, I guess you could say. Peter noticed my word counter has gone over the 50K mark (official word count is 52,830) and I thought I'd post an update on the book.

I just hit scene one in Chapter Seven and am 89 pages into Pt. 2 - In the Shadow of the Flame. The other day I just had one of these manic writing binges hit, and as such I've spent the last three days in this writing haze where reality ceases to exist and sleep is that necessary evil in between chapters. ;-) Today has been a bit of a more laid-back day as I only finished the last scene in Chapter Six and the first bit of Chapter Seven, but all in all, it's a great sense of achievement to have finally gotten this far in the book. (None of my previous drafts got past Chapter Four.)

Don't be surprised if I disappear for a couple of days again, because I have Chapters 7 & 8, and the Epilogue to Part One mapped out for me so long as my brain is able to function enough to write it. It would be very nice to get the first half of the book finished before we start getting comic pages in, which could be soon. That's when I have to become Madame Letters and Helps Jason Color. (But hey, it's the second issue, so what could be sweeter than that?)

I'll keep you guys posted, some here and some on my writing blog.

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Gold Lion" by Yeah Yeah Yeahs

A Missing Link?

2006-04-10T08:48:00.000-04:00

Scientists have, apparently, discovered an evolutionary missing link in that important transition from fish to land creature. Of course, I think the scientific community is grasping at straws, but what of the theological ramifications of this discovery?

An astute observer from one of my discussion lists says it best:

"No matter how you spin it, this find raises an important theological
question that will trouble many people who ponder it.

Could a Roman Catholic eat it during Lent?"

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: The kids watch Max and Ruby on TV. Spring break week... Yay (?) :-)

Confession Time

2006-04-09T23:09:00.000-04:00

Ok, they say confession is good for the soul, so... here we go.

Writer girl here figured out how to script comic books pretty quickly. I lettered the first issue and did a pretty good job for a beginner. Now, we're moving to color and I'm gonna do the flat colors for the comic.

I'm scared out of my frackin' mind.

Feeling kinda schizophrenic as I look through the script, anticipating the coloring tricks I'll need to learn while cursing the damn writer for it. STUPID WRITER!Why did that scene have to take place at night? And that one is in the rain? And the other one with a different scene altogether? AAAHHHH! And why am I obsessed with doing this as professionally as possible, thus eliminating the 'take the easy way out' method??

*breathes in, breathes out*

Ok, I'm better now. *hides the brown paper bag*
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Wish You Were Here" by Pink Floyd

Don't Call it a Comeback

2006-04-05T13:04:00.000-04:00

Radio.blog returneth! I have eleven fresh tracks lined up (stuff I'm playing ad nauseum these days) and they actually play at a discernable speed!

Enjoy :-)

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Love and Memories" by O.A.R.

Time for Distractions!

2006-04-04T08:38:00.000-04:00

In an effort to make up for all the time I just wasted watching and reading stuff online, I'm going to ruin your productivity too. ;-)

Seriously, here are a couple of humorous tidbits for you who lack entertainment:
1. Puppet Movie Theater - Abridged and funny renditions of some of my favorite movies, including Serenity, Spider-Man, and the Matrix.
2. Vee Dub Unpimps Zee Auto! I dunno if any of you all have seen the 'Mad German Scientist' VW ads, but I got a big kick out of them. ("You get an F.") All three of them are on Google video here, here, and here.

Enjoy!
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Beverly Hills" by Weezer

Wouldn't Trade it For Anything

2006-03-31T10:37:00.000-05:00

It seems inevitable that when you write about a superhero, that you're gonna put him in a comic. While I had written nothing but prose until January of 2004, when I finally learned how to write a comic script I discovered how much I loved working with the medium. Making the decision to try to become a comic book writer is akin to telling your parents you're going to drop out of law school to become a musician. Sure, your buddies understand, but any other sane person thinks you just jumped on the irresponsibility bandwagon. And there comes a point that, after two years of struggling for your pet project, enduring heartbreak and knowing there's more coming down the pike, that you begin wondering how right they are when they tell you to give it up once and for all.

But then God gives you little moments like this that help you along.

I can't describe what it's like to see something you scripted become art. You would have to go through it to know. You look at the panels, full of pictures of this mini movie you laid out and see a motion picture through the still frames... and you get to say, "I wrote that." It's a sense of fulfillment that spreads a grin from ear to ear and makes you realize you're finally doing what you want to wake up every day and do for the rest of your life.

I had forgotten this feeling, because several months have gone by since the last time I wrote a script or reviewed artwork being given to me. But yesterday I found myself working on a script for a friend and got an email from my latest artist (btw, his name is David Faught. I feel a little more confident introducing him now that I see he is working, and doing a darn good job at that) with panel layouts and thumbnails for the first five pages of Issue #2. I don't know how much you all get into seeing roughs, but if you want to take a peek, here are pages 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Needless to say, I was excited. And this morning, when I set off to start writing on this script again, I saw print outs of those pages next to my laptop and paused to grin.

God do what He wills of me, above all else... but man, I love this job. And I'm glad He led me here, even if it was kind of painful and tedious to get where I am.

I'm going to keep this post bookmarked for when I'm coloring and lettering these pages and about to jump out the second story window. ;-)

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Lonely Nation" by Switchfoot

The Return of Buffy?

2006-03-29T21:34:00.000-05:00

Busy with a script writing project at the moment, but in the meantime, here's a little link for fellow Buffy the Vampire Slayer fans.
Joss alludes that Buffy may ride again here...

... of course, I know most of us Whedon-heads want to see the return of Firefly, but I would take this too. ;-)

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: Lisa Tucker's last American Idol performance. Chris and Taylor are still going strong!

Duke Loses

2006-03-23T21:59:00.000-05:00

Thanks to JJ Reddick and Shelden Williams for four awesome years. We'll be looking for you guys in the NBA.

2006 ACC Champions! We'll be out for blood next March. :-)

Julie <><

Writing Advice

2006-03-21T15:08:00.000-05:00

In the attempt to do some penance ;-), I thought I would post something for my fellow writers' general edification. I've posted this on a different blog, but I dont think I've ever posted this here, so, eh, why not?
When I got back into writing fiction, some of the best writing advice I ever read came from Bendis's website. I held onto this even after he removed it from his site and pass it along to anyone who asks me for advice on writing.

Following text by: Brian Michael Bendis:
"WRITING
There’s a whole lot of so called rules to writing. These rules have been documented time and again by others far more industrious and intelligent than I, so I don’t know what it is that I could add to it.Instead I’ll give you the mental check list that runs through my head when I am writing:

WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW. AND IF YOU DON’T KNOW IT, FOR CRYING OUT LOUD, GO RESEARCH IT.

When researching what became JINX, I talked to a ton of bounty hunters, cops, and others of the ilk. First of all, it is a lot of fun. You get to act like you’re a tough guy for a couple of minutes, without having to hurt anybody. Secondly, these people have stories to tell a thousand times more interesting and entertaining than anything you could make up...and they are TRUE. There are stories out there for the taking. Your genius is to figure out which ones, and when and where to tell them.

HEY, THAT’S A GOOD IDEA OR FUNNY LINE, IS IT FROM LIFE OR IS IT OFF THE T.V....

The only thing worse than a hack, is an ignorant hack. We do live in a multimedia information super highway and it is hard to keep it pure. But at least try...

MMMM-MMMM DIALOGUE

Good dialogue is something that I get the most credit for and have the least to say about.David Mamet says that having a good ear for dialogue is the professional ability to talk to yourself. I think it is more like... instead of listening to the voices in your head, let them talk to each other while you try to write it all down.

IF IT DOESN’T RING TRUE TO YOU, IT AIN’T GOING TO RING TRUE TO THEM... LET THE CHARACTERS DO THEIR THING.

if you build your characters into the fully realized identities they deserve to be, they will dictate they’re actions to you. Real characters run the gambit of human emotion. They have contradicting attitudes, motivations, and ideals. Don’t fight it, its they’re story.

FREE THERAPY
There hasn’t been one relationship anxiety, or conundrum in my life that hasn’t hugely benefited by the fact that I have a forum in which to address and analyze it. Nothing sings to the reader more then when you write from the heart. Seize the opportunity to explore yourself.

FIRST DRAFTS ALWAYS SUCK!
You should see how many this took.HA HA HA HA -OH NO! A lot of writers, especially in comics, throw in every gag they can think of regardless to whether or not they are sacrificing the story momentum or mood of the piece. Anybody can write a gag, the geniuses know where and when its time to use them or cut them.

THAT’S WHAT YOUR MOMS FOR
Everybody has a mom or grandma to kiss your creative ass. What everybody needs is a core group of close friends and associates that aren’t afraid to tell you when it ain’t working. Find them and listen. Egos are for losers.

*IT’LL NEVER BE PERFECT.... but you have to keep moving forward."

-- fin

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "So Sorry to Say" by Celldweller

Which Serenity Character Are You?

2006-03-21T13:41:00.000-05:00

I tried to get the code for this to show up right on my blog, but to no avail. So forgive me if this shows up weird:

Your results:
You are Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)

Zoe Washburne (Second-in-command)		85%
Wash (Ship Pilot)		75%
Dr. Simon Tam (Ship Medic)		70%
Malcolm Reynolds (Captain)		60%
Derrial Book (Shepherd)		55%
Kaylee Frye (Ship Mechanic)		50%
Jayne Cobb (Mercenary)		45%
River (Stowaway)		35%
Inara Serra (Companion)		30%
A Reaver (Cannibal)		15%
Alliance		15%

Dependable and trustworthy.
You love your significant other and
you are a tough cookie when in a conflict.

Click here to take the "Which Serenity character are you?" quiz...

Goes to show ya, I'd rather be a Reaver than a member of the Alliance. ;-)
Julie <><

Character 101

2006-03-21T06:44:00.000-05:00

I think I lost half of my soul a couple of weeks ago. I macked on Brian Bendis in the chat channel I frequent.
I didn't really set out to send the dagger into one of my favorite comic writers, it just kind of... happened. There are a few of us comic geeks in channel and somehow the conversation got around to character revisionism. While I can't remember what I said verbatim it was to the effect that Bendis has the tendency to fall into this trap and, no, I'm not referring to his work on Ultimate Spider-Man because that's supposed to be different.

Before I get too far down the road of fangirl muttering, let me first explain what I mean by 'character revisionism'. It's a trap that some comics writers fall into when they take on a mainstream character and attempt to add their own mark on him - instead of putting the character in the middle of a challenging and exciting story, either they go for the gusto and rewrite their personalities, or perhaps they didn't know a lot about the character's personality to begin with and write them behaving in a manner waaay outside their personality's parameters. I wouldn't ever mack on Bendis's work on Ultimate SM, because while the Spidey mythos have changed radically in the ultimate universe, the personality is still pretty close to 'Peter Parker if he were a teenager today'. Bendis has gotten a lot of heat in writing other characters, but I digress... the point is that even Bendis hasn't been immune to this problem on some of the other titles he's worked on.

All of that to say that when I picked up the latest issue of Nightwing I nearly freaked out. Since I know one of you out there collects NW and hasn't read this issue yet, I'll refrain from spoilers. But suffice to say that there was this guy in the comic and while he looked like Dick Grayson and walked like Dick Grayson, he wasn't Dick Grayson. And yes, he was supposed to be Dick Grayson although I don't think I'm spoiling much by saying there was someone posing as Nightwing in the issue, but that point isn't important right now. What's relevant is that the new writer either didn't know or didn't care who he was dealing with, and what was an interesting ending in Issue #117 got murdered with what followed in Issue #118.

So, why is this important?

Well, if you're a fiction writer of any stripe - be you a comics writer or a novelist - then at some time or another you're going to create a character. And if you want the character to actually be believable, you will give them quirks, convictions, personality facets that form them into an individual. This is to establish not only what makes them distinct, but to also set guidelines - what would they do in a given situation? What wouldn't they do? It colors the way they see the world and determines the steps they'll take as you place them in the construct of a story.

So, when you have an already-established character you have to realize that you're dealing with someone whose personality has not only been formed, but has been developed even further through book after book. It's lazy writing to ignore how they would react to a situation in favor of writing a story that has your character acting like somebody else.
This isn't to say that challenging the character is a bad thing - stories would be rather dull if they were titled "Super Guy Fights a Villain... Again" and featured nothing but some formula story that has been repeated ad infinitum. But the test of a writer's skill comes in being able to write something that is not only intriguing, but also keeps the hero, villain, etc. in character. I could write a ton of stories and advance a plethora of plots by conveniently forgetting how my character would act in a given situation. However, a writer is given the same charge as Spider-Man was: With great power comes great responsibility.

Or, in other words, just because you can do something doesn't mean it's right or appropriate.

Here's an example. Let's take a page from a previous post and say I wanted to write a story that gave some sort of implied message that being promiscuous is wrong and has grave consequences. So, I created a female anti-hero who seduces my hero and causes him to cheat on his wife. It might be a decent story, but in writing it I just trampled all over his personality by violating something I've established in Scott: He is imperfect, but there are things he absolutely, positively would not do under any circumstances. One of his fundamental personality traits is his fidelity and dedication to those he loves, be they friend or lover, and this gets laid out as early as the first book. And if I did my job correctly, the person reading the story wouldn't buy it because they'd know he just... didn't do that. It would take a grave situation where his back was against the wall and it meant the safety and well being of his loved ones for him to even consider crossing that moral boundary.

So when I see it done elsewhere I feel as though some unwritten rule of character continuity has been violated and, confidentially, it makes me angry. Not merely because an act was done, but because the writer has just destroyed a part of why many people like this character and written it into the mythos, forever violating their personality. It makes me think of how I'd react if another writer took on one of my characters and did the same to them and while I'm bordering on mental illness again, it would smack of someone hurting one of my children to see that happen.
Bottom line - If you're a writer then you have to maintain consistency in you characters. Otherwise you have a cast of nihilistic, two-dimensional pawns that no one is going to sympathize with in the end because they have nothing to sympathize with.

Well, that's my pre-coffee rant for today. Please pardon any lapses in coherency that a lack of caffeine might be responsible for. ;-)

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Beautiful Ways" by Pat McGee Band

Something Old, Something New

2006-03-20T16:47:00.000-05:00

As I sit and smile at the sparkly word count meter, I have to confess half of the ten thousand word jump the meter just took was as a result of previous drafts. I found parts of my last draft that were worth saving and modifying a bit and so I figured why reinvent the wheel, right? So, I'm plagerizing myself a bit. ;-) But don't be surprised if that number flucuates a bit as I smooth out the rough edges and fit it into the story a bit better.

btw - I finally saw Serenity and wow that was an amazing movie. There are a lot of movies I enjoy and movies that have been worth me buying the DVD for instead of merely renting it. But of those movies only a handful of them are movies that have moved and inspired me. They include:
1. Spider-Man (1 and 2)
2. Unbreakable (by M. Night Shyamalan)
3. The Matrix

Serenity is being added to that list. How in the world a movie like Revenge of the Sith did better in the box office last year is beyond me, especially when the plot was shaky and the dialogue sub-par. Serenity was the whole package - awesome plot, great action, killer dialogue, and characters with a lot of depth. It helps that I watched Firefly before indulging in Serenity, but I have a feeling I would have still fallen in love with Mal and the gang even without seeing the show.

So, what are you waiting for? Rent the darn thing already! :-)

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Our Truth" by Lacuna Coil

The S Word

2006-03-17T08:19:00.000-05:00

So, I woke up this morning and grabbed a cup of coffee, then started my daily routine of checking email before I started work on my manuscript. (Up to 23,200 words. Yesterday was a slow day.) I belong to way too many discussion lists and end up deleting a ton of emails with subject lines that don't interest me... Or long, drawn out discussions that should have been ended fifteen emails ago. (Us Reformed people can tend to not only hash out a theological subject, but rehash it and triple hash it before we let it go. This is both a good thing and a bad thing.)
But in the deluge of emails I found the new e-newsletter from Infuze Magazine and perked up an eyebrow at their feature article.

You can read it here if you don't mind registering with their site, but the title says it all: "What About Sex?" Infuze is a Christianity-meets-pop-culture e-zine, so I was immediately interested and curious to see what they had to say on this subject, since it's a subject that has given me both consternation and condemnation in what I've written. When I was working through From Darkness to Shadow, there was one portion of the book that gave me a tremendous amount of grief everytime I reached it in each draft and edit I went through. As I'm sure you can assume, it involved sex, and the internal battle I waged had a lot to do with 'Is it appropriate for me to... go there?' I kept trying to avoid it, because I figured my conscience was telling me something, but at the same time I had no idea how I could avoid it.

In the end, I gave in and wrote the scene as honestly and yet as modestly as I could manage without it looking like I was trying to brush it away... and even had to write a sort of 'morning after' scene in the next chapter. But I still tossed the debate around in my head and didn't totally feel at ease until I stopped to evaluate what I was doing and if it was glorifying God in any way.

Well, in one respect it didn't kill the pacing of the story - or, in other words, it was the natural progression of one event into another, but that doesn't mean that it was the only inevitable direction the story could have taken. It was just the most honest way these characters would have treated this situation, which is why I could never get away from it in the first place. Creating characters gifts you with a certain clairvoyance you can't even get with your own children, because kids surprise you all the time, but with characters you know them head to toe and intimately because you're the one who formed their psyche.
Still, this doesn't answer my question. Was I just caving in to worldliness and indulging the flesh, or was there a lesson even in this subplot that, while not explicitly stated, was still implicitly God-honoring?

Sadly, purity is a lost concept in our culture and the vows of abstinence I hear touted so much break down almost as easily as they are formed, mainly because they are not formed on something solid. Two teenagers who vow not to give in to pre-marital sex and create it as some sort of pact still face the temptation and while some have an ironclad will, most do not. The only thing that has stopped me from many trips down the road of temptation has been my faith in Christ and the presence of the Spirit, both convicting me and giving me the strength to walk past the temptations I've faced. Most people who make these abstinence vows do not acknowledge the Savior and do not possess the Spirit. Their foundation is built on sand.

As such, we are living in the midst of licentiousness. We're so oversaturated with sex on all fronts that it's no longer this sacred thing, something unique and special, something that points towards dedication and commitment. And when I considered this, I saw that maybe I was beating myself up a little too much over the issue of sex in the book. No, I'm not saying that my philosophy became, "Oh, hell, why get so bothered? I'll fit right in!" because that wasn't the issue in the first place. Rather, what I strived for and hope came across inside the book was what this symbolized between two of the main characters - that it wasn't something fast and loose they were playing with, but was one way that their commitment to one another was stated in different terms. It might have been enough for me to say, "Well, at least they were being consistent with their personalities," but I had also found a way to convey, without preaching, that this was about more than gratification.

This is a pretty hard road for a Christian writer - to be both honest and relevant, while still being true to the call that all we do is for the glory of God. Having the narrator of the book be a nonbeliever (Andy is sorta agnostic and fluctuates between those times when you have to acknowledge some higher power at work and other times when a nonbeliever would see there being no evidence of God in a situation.) and the main protagonist being a 'person of faith', if still very fallible and inconsistent in practice, has helped put two checks into place - Andy keeps me from preaching, and Scott keeps me from straying too far. ;-) But now, I'm kinda glad I gave the subject of sex at least a rudimentary brush in the first novel.

It makes me hope that some more people come along that can give the subject more justice than I did and provide our culture with more examples that sex is something more than a marketing ploy. And for that matter, I sincerely hope we see more instances of fidelity, stable relationships, and loving homes to create more breakers in the cultural sea for those of us who have become jaded and desensitized. There are definitely times and places for us to broach the tough subjects and note that our culture is not perfect and is given over to lust more often than not. But I also think there are times to just show people what a solid relationship looks like and let the example stand as something to be observed and contemplated. Whatever the case, Christians do the culture a disservice when they try to pretend the issue doesn't exist and thus keep it absent from everything we produce.

Just musing out loud. Take my two cents for what they're worth and use it to buy a cup of coffee. ;-)

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Following Rita" by Train

20-20-20,700 words done...

2006-03-15T23:08:00.000-05:00

... I wanna be sedated. ;-)

Installed a new progress meter on the blog to let any interested parties know how far I am in the book. FDTS was about 120,000 words, so I set that as the projected completion point.
Now I'm beat...

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: Jason snore.

Non-Traditional Irish Blessings

2006-03-15T20:27:00.000-05:00

In early observance of St Paddy's Day, these blessings are a bit... unorthodox. (Got 'em from a discussion list.)

May those who love us, love us
And those who don't love us,
May God turn their hearts
And if he can't turn their hearts,
May he make anvils fall from the sky,
to land on their heads with hilarious
pranging sounds.

May the road rise to meet you,
just like it always does,
when you get so drunk,
you pass out in the street.

May the leprechauns be near you,
To spread luck along your way.
And may all of the medications
Take the awful hallucinations of tiny
screeching people away.

Ireland-it's the one place on earth
That Heaven has kissed
With melody, mirth
And meadow and mist
And decades of religious based warfare

These things, I warmly wish for you-
Someone to love,
A bit o' sun
A bit o' cheer
A book of gift certificates to Hardee's
And a guardian angel
Always near.

On this day St. Patrick,
Surrounded by friends and more
Take that guy wearing a "Kiss Me, I'm
Irish" pin
And throw him the hell out the door.

Down at the pub,
Reveling all night
Pray they don't run dry of Guinness
And substitute Amstel Light

May all your sorrows be like a Shamrock
Shake, available for a limited time only.
Also, may they be a minty green in
color, putrid to the taste, and contain sodium
benzoate as a preservative.

Bless Bono's round, shiny glasses,
for they are round, and they are shiny,
and he is Irish.

May your schizophrenia always be blamed
on colorful drunkenness.

Currently Listening to: A basketball game playing in the background. Which reminds me...

Go Duke!!

For My Fellow Writers

2006-03-15T14:30:00.000-05:00

Just discovered this and thought it was very, very cool.
Character Chart (You need Adobe Reader to open this.)

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Stickshifts and Safetybelts" by Cake

Mmm... Books

2006-03-13T07:58:00.000-05:00

Well, I gave you all a week to listen to John Mayer sing like Alvin from the Chipmunks. I hope you all enjoyed it. ;-)
Seriously, thanks to Mike for informing me of the problem on my radio.blog. I just uploaded an update to it and something got fubared in the process... Sorry about that. I'm going to try and get that fixed asap.

In other news - I don't know how many people pay attention to my "Currently Reading.." and "Currently Listening to...", but I've begun working through Roger Zelazny's Amber Chronicles and am loving it. If you are a sci-fi/fantasy fan and haven't read these then you have to pick up the The Great Book of Amber and start walking the Pattern into the land called Amber. ;-)

I've finished the first book, Nine Princes in Amber, and began The Guns of Avalon yesterday. So far there are two things, other than the plot, that have grabbed my attention - First of all, the books are told from the first person point of view, which is a POV I've become very fond of. There's something about stepping into "someone else's" mind that I find very engaging, which is why I've really dug writing The Shadow Fox Chronicles from the first person POP. It's almost like pretending to be someone else, only without the mental illness. ;-)
The second thing that I've enjoyed is how witty and engaging the main character, Corwin, is. He's a fallible hero (my favorite kind), with a little bit of nobility that wants to creep out from the corners of his cunning, regal facade. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens to him next.

Thanks to Micah for the book recommendation. I've been having a hard time finding a book to get into because my tastes seem to have radically changed since my teenage years, when I read fiction voraciously. I used to be an Anne Rice, Stephen King, and John Grisham (amongst others) fan, and while the last Stephen King book I read was good (Dreamcatcher. Admittedly not his best, but I finished it and I don't finish books unless I enjoy them to some degree.), I nearly went crazy trying to reread The Firm (ack!! Choppy, short sentences burn us!) and haven't dared to venture into the Vampire Chronicles again. (Buffy and Angel are as vampire as I get these days.)
Sir Apropos of Nothing is a good satirical take on the fantasy genre and Peter David's writing is phenomenal, but I was having a hard time staying with it... maybe because I was looking for something a bit more serious without being pretentious. (I still intend to finish that book and its sequel, though.) And maybe I have ADD but I only got 100 pages into The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay before the slllooooow moving backstory got to me. I need to save that one for when I have a bit more patience.

Anyway, I'm going to keep pecking through the Amber Chronicles and have A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin to read afterwards... another recommendation from someone else. Can't remember who, but it was in my Amazon wish list so I put it there for a reason. ;-)

Oh, and... I've been writing with no problems lately, which would seem to suggest pregnancy is bad for my creative muse. ;-) I started over on the manuscript for In the Shadow of the Flame yet again, but I'm not tossing out everything from the previous draft. I just felt it was better for me to start from the beginning again and work my way through so I keep the vibe going, and have frankensteined a little bit in from there. My biggest problem seems to be that I have some definite plot points in mind, but am stuck with fifteen different roads to get there. And every road forks off again, which forces me to sit back after each move on my chess board to evaluate my next move.
I ended From Darkness to Shadow on a high note and now I have to swing from that high note down to an increasing sense of insecurity and pressure until I reach the end of the first half, which marks the crescendo in this sense. At that point, Scottish adversaries seem to have the better of him, but it's something I neither want to rush nor want to go too slow in developing. So far, at the point I'm at (middle of the second chapter), the mood is still semi-upbeat with shadows creeping in from the corners. Now comes the big trick - exposing these shadows as enemies and telling how they become this way. I've already introduced one "villain", and now am throwing down the next trump ;-) and revealing the other. Let's hope it doesn't take too many revisions to get this one right.

Oh, and in case you were wondering... While this is unrelated to books, I still have to say that I have the cutest and most intelligent eight week old on planet Earth. I know she's only cooing and gooing at me, but she's talking to me by golly. I'll let you all know when she discovers the cure for cancer or writes her first novel or composes her first concerto. ;-)

And, no I'm not biased. Not at all. :-)

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Long Day" by Matchbox Twenty

Put it on Your Calendar

2006-03-06T10:36:00.000-05:00

Remember, there's only 59 shopping days until No Pants Day and 196 days until Talk Like a Pirate Day.

You've been warned.
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Set Me Free" by Velvet Revolver

Having Issues

2006-03-05T17:59:00.000-05:00

No, not those kinds of issues. ;-)

So, it took two years for From Darkness to Shadow, Issue 1 to be produced. If all keeps going well with the new artist I'm talking to, then Issue 2 will come a year after its predecessor. Lord willing, the time keeps cutting in half until we're actually on a regular schedule. ;-)
To celebrate the fact that my sanity is still intact (relatively), this is a picture sent to me by my good friend David Cooper as an Issue #2 cover. Dave was the one who got me started as a comic script writer, so it has special significance to me in that regard. I have a couple other cover pics I might use if... dare I dream?... the rest of this story arc gets completed. But here's Dave's pic for starters.

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "The Fallen" by Franz Ferdinand

24 Facts on Jack Bauer

2006-03-01T12:40:00.000-05:00

Found this on a website and cleaned it up a little for general consumption ;-)

24 Facts on 24's Jack Bauer

If Jack Bauer was in a room with Hitler, Stalin, and Nina Meyers, and he had a gun with 2 bullets, he'd shoot Nina twice.

1.6 billion Chinese are angry with Jack Bauer. Sounds like a fair fight.

The only reason you're conscious right now is because Jack Bauer doesn't want to carry you.

Jack and Jill went up the hill. Only Jack came down. Jill was a terrorist.

Jack Bauer once forgot where he put his keys. He then spent the next half-hour torturing himself until he gave up the location of the keys.

Jack Bauer could get off the Lost island in 24 hours.

You can't talk to Jack because: he can't talk now. He'll explain later.

Killing Jack Bauer doesn't make him dead. It just makes him angry.

There were originally five horsemen of the apocalypse. Jack Bauer said he would travel by foot.

When Jack Bauer does the Hokey Pokey he sticks his right arm in and shoots the rest of the circle.

Jack Bauer sleeps with a gun under the pillow. But he could kill you with the pillow.

Jack Bauer has no friends, because as a child when he would play cops and robbers, the robbers would all be interogated and killed.

After running out of ammo, Jack stood in the line of fire, took 3 shots to the chest, and used them to reload.

A Priest, a Rabbi, and a Minister walked into a bar... and Jack Bauer is going to find out why...

Upon hearing that he was played by Kiefer Sutherland, Jack Bauer killed Sutherland. Jack Bauer gets played by no man.

On Jack Bauer's tax returns, he has to claim the entire world as his dependants.

Jack Bauer doesn't miss. If he didn't hit you it's because he was shooting at another terrorist twelve miles away.

Nostradamus once predicted in his journal: "In the century 21st, the one known as Jacques will be the savior of the world... five seasons in a row." Moments later, Jack Bauer knocked down the door, shot Nostradamus in the kneecaps, and yelled "WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?!"

Chuck Norris told Jack Bauer that he only killed 15 people cause he ran out of bullets. Jack told him he only killed 93 people cause he ran out of people. Then Jack snapped Chuck Norris' neck into 24 pieces.

Jack Bauer can eat just one Lay's Potato Chip. Don't tell Jack what he can't do.

As a boy, Jack Bauer interrogated his parents on Easter until they revealed the location and contents of each hidden egg.

Taco Bell used to close at midnight, until Jack Bauer decided he wanted to have burritos at 2 am.

Jack Bauer is the reason Waldo is hiding.

Superman has Jack Bauer pajamas.

----
Currently Listening to: "Closure" by Chevelle

Three Reasons...

2006-03-01T08:20:00.000-05:00

... why you should vote for Taylor Hicks on American Idol tonight.
(Yes, I know... I already have a favorite and we haven't even gotten down to the final twelve yet. I'm sick. But if you like blues/rock then you'll love these tracks regardless of how you feel about American Idol.)

Reason #1

Reason #2

Reason #3

And while you're at it, feed a starving artist and watch Taylor's performance from last week (with an added bonus... Simon Cowell eating his words.)

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Hell of a Day" by Taylor Hicks

You Gotta Like When

2006-02-28T13:47:00.000-05:00

... you're talking to someone about pencilling the comic and this is one of the quickie headshots of your main character he sends. :-)

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: The Dividing Line with Dr. James White

Some Thoughts on Piety

2006-02-28T07:05:00.000-05:00

As I woke up this morning and grabbed my first cup of coffee, I got to thinking about updating the blog and what I wanted to post today. Almost immediately, my thoughts wandered to a series of messages our associate pastor has been doing at church, about how a living faith produces works, which has led him to explore the book of James with us. And it's occurred to me that I left a lot of mismatched thoughts hanging here on my personal blog concerning my feelings on piety.

When Paul wrote of being the chief of sinners, I keep thinking he only wrote that because he didn't know me. A song I love, which has continued to be my unofficial "theme song" is a tune by Chris Rice titled "Clumsy". I uploaded an mp3 of it if you want to listen to it, but the lyrics are work checking a look at.

You think I'd have it down by now
Been practicing for thirty years
I should have walked a thousand miles
So what am I still doing here?
Reaching out for that same ol' piece of forbidden fruit
I slip and fall and I knock my halo loose
Somebody tell me, what's a boy supposed to do?

(Chorus)
I get so clumsy
I get so foolish
I get so stupid... And then I feel so useless
But you're saying you love me
And you're still gonna hold me
And that you want to be near me
'Cause you're makin' me holy, still makin' me holy

I'm gonna get it right this time
I'll be strong and I'll make you proud
I've prayed that prayer a thousand times
The rooster crows and my tears roll down
You remind me you made me from the dust
And I could never, no, never be good enough
But that you're not gonna let that come between us

(Repeat Chorus)

From where I stand your holiness is up so high I could never reach it.
My only hope is to fall on Jesus.

(Repeat Chorus)

There are a few songs I love and all of them that remind me of myself discuss a person's shortcomings. I'm well aware of what kind of a sinner I am and I hate it in the worst way, which, I suppose, is a good sign because if I didn't have the Spirit working in me, then I'd be numb to the faltering. But in the midst of this, I keep praying for sanctification because I truly do want God to be glorified in me. So, if I ever said something that sounded like I abhor holiness or true piety, then I want to apologize for sending a mixed signal. I love holiness, despite how out of reach it seems to be for me sometimes.

So, what is all the clanging I do at times, then?

Well, I can sympathize with the whole idea of a double life, because I often feel I'm leading one myself. I'm a Reformed Baptist and member of a solid church with wonderful people who attend and Biblical teaching coming from the pulpit. I learn a great deal from them and the way they conduct their lives reminds me more and more of my own shortcomings and challenges me to strive to be something more than the dirty child sitting in the pool of mud.

But, on the other hand, I have not always been a Christian. I was a first class sinner prior to my conversion with a few screw up trophies to my credit. I write comics that are intended for the secular market and God has placed me in the unique position of knowing exactly what it's like to sit down with the prostitutes and tax collectors on their level and speak with them. In some respects, I'm glad I can keep an honest, straight face when an ex-exotic dancer can tell me about how she's been clean from drug use for three months (true story) and I'm ecstatic that I'm a safe person for her to talk to, because there's a part of me that wants to relate to the people I speak to... That I can at least show them that not all Christians are out to tar and feather people like her. My past probably goes a long way in helping in this equation and as much as I abhor my past, I can see many ways God can use it for His glory, which makes me feel better about where I came from.

The problem comes in when these two worlds converge with one another. To make a very broadsweeping statement, Reformed Baptists don't understand when you try to tell them about your comic book project and how you need prayer because there are hurting people out there you meet every day, and you desperately want to be a light to them. When I was doing full time apologetics, I got a lot of approval from my fellow believers because I was "in ministry", but when I told them I had left that to pursue fiction writing, suddenly I was speaking a foreign language to them. It's a blow to the ego to go from lots of approval to very little approval - from a great deal of understanding to barely any understanding... And I know this is God's way of keeping my pride in check. But the first time I ever asked my fellow congregants for prayer, I was shot down because my work is still largely secular. (If there is such a thing as secular. I contest this because I'm still imparting a worldview into what I write, I'm just not being explicit about it. But, I digress.)

It killed me because I didn't feel comfortable to talk to anyone about the first time I ever got into a great conversation with someone about purpose and how God is in control of all things. Not that I wanted praise for myself, but it was an answer to prayer that a door had finally opened for me to take what I was writing and relate it to a spiritual matter. I wanted to praise God for it.

So, I guess you could say, this has made me very sensitive to false piety. Self-righteousness or pharisaism, if you will - not true pietism or holiness. I'm not trying to slam my fellow congregants because they are really, really sweet Godly people, just saying as a whole that finding believers who are willing to step into the world of nonbelievers and interact with the culture at large is a difficult challenge. And most who do it are on a self-appointed mission from God to Christianize everything rather than exploring the gritty, harsh reality of life itself under the sun. Not that I have it figured out and I'm the one who gets it, because I still screw up and lash out when I should be patient, and Lord knows that walking through Sodom and Gomorrah thrusts you into the temptation to stop and admire the scenery instead of walking on. I've wrestled with more than a few demons on the way and sin daily in that quest.
But where are the people who realize being in, but not of, the world still requires being in it?

When I lash out is usually when I've taken a few blows from fellow believers for not being 'Christian enough' in my writing, so please forgive me and be patient when I get bitter and cynical. And I've actually been challenged to put my money where my mouth is and come up with a Christian comic idea that doesn't suck, so I'm taking my penance too at the same time. ;-) (I don't know if I can do this in all honesty, but I was asking for it by railing on and on about how a majority of Christian comics suck... lol.)

In any event, I hope this has made where I'm coming from clearer. I'm still seeking for the answers when it comes down to being in and not of the world and sometimes I fall haphazard on both sides of that line. And I'm still feeling out how faith and culture interplay with one another, so I don't totally have that figured out yet either. Just... pray for me, brethren. This is a long, bumpy road and I've been a weary traveler for some time now.

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Smell the Color 9" by Chris Rice

There's Gotta Be Something Wrong...

2006-02-24T12:56:00.000-05:00

You know, like any other wretched punk, I have the tendancy to take things for granted, but just today I've found myself exhibiting an attitude I don't normally have and one that, I'm sure, is me sinning in some way.

I woke up this morning and got an email from the bank handling our income tax refund transfer. They had told us we weren't getting our refund until next week, but this morning they informed us the money would be deposited today. Sure enough, a quick call to the bank verified our money was in there. To begin with, we got back quite a bit of money... Jason didn't make a stellar amount of money last year and Kerry's social security as well as help received from dear friends were what kept us going strong. Jason and I could hardly believe the dollar amount on our refund when we did our taxes. Because of it, there are two big dollar items we've wanted for some time (one of them being a used car for me to drive) that we can finally get.

But that's just where it starts. Though I've been distracted today, I got an awesome plot outline going for the second book yesterday (Yeah, I redid it. A few months away gives you some perspective.) and I whipped out a page bef0re coffee this morning. Then I got the email with the Spidey movie pic that put me in geek heaven. However, just a few minutes ago I got an email from a new artist we're talking to with rough sketches of my main character and I'm astounded at how talented this guy is and how willing he is to work with us.

My beautiful daughter Ainsley is sleeping next to me. This morning with Cass, Kerr, and Jason was an awesome morning.

So why am I sitting here waiting for the bubble to burst? lol

Maybe it's the artist thing. The minute I saw the pics my first thought was that someone like me doesn't get this "lucky" to find someone so quickly that is so good... I'm used to more lows than highs coming from the comic book project at this point... lol. So it got me to wondering how in the world I managed to be so blessed with all of this stuff today and I'm almost afraid to delight myself too much in this providence, as though something was going to swipe it away when I take my eyes off of it. Not that I would blame God, He gives and He takes away, blessed be His Name and all that.

But... wow. Did you ever have so many good things happen to you that you were waiting for the other shoe to drop?
In any event, I'm sure I need to repent of that notion and just say this: God is good and I am amazed. Pray He is glorifed through all of this stuff that is giving me temporal happiness at the moment. :-)

Just getting that off my chest,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Mary Jane's Last Dance" by Tom Petty

Wake Me Up in May 2007

2006-02-24T07:25:00.000-05:00

Sony tells us that this is not a black and white pic, but rather a black costume. You know what this means... right? :-)

Click here for more info.

Julie <><

Pics, Tunes, and Writing

2006-02-06T16:15:00.000-05:00

A few items of note:

1. I finally updated my radio.blog. The playlist is a little mellow, but kinda reflects some of the stuff I'm working on writing wise. When I have a storyline stuck on repeat in my mind, I tend to gravitate towards music that reflects the mood. Not all of the songs on the new playlist fit that explanation, but most of 'em do. ;-)
Note also the tracks on there by Marty Casey & Lovehammers. Worth checking out. (They have some clips on their site too.) And, I apologize for "Dance, Dance", but everytime I flip past MTV, they're playing this video and it makes me stop my channel surfing long enough that I thought others might get a kick out of it.

2. More pics of the baby! Bookmark My Flickr Page, because that's where I'll keep sticking pics of little Miss Ainsley. :-)

3. I updated my writing blog. Long story short, my penciller has gotten a bit busy with life things (eh, it happens) and has had to drop out of the project. The blog post goes into the future of the comic book project in more detail, but the basic idea is that I'm exploring the possibility of ditching the idea of a serial comic in favor of a few self-contained graphic novels. This would give me some liberty with who I choose as a collaborator, but even if we do press on with the serial comic I might opt for releasing them in trade format anyway, instead of individual issues.

In other words, I'm getting very tired of making empty promises to people with regard to production. So, I'm looking for the solution to my collaboration woes. Frustrated, to say the least, without being upset at any of the people I've worked with. Life happens. But after three years, it's a pain to still be beating my head against a wall.
Lord willing this year off of travelling will help.

Peace,
Julie <><

It's a Girl!

2006-01-27T09:23:00.000-05:00

Yeah, I know I've been quiet for a while, but I have a good excuse this time!

On January 16th, at 4:29 PM EST my baby girl Ainsley Rosemarie Staples was born. (We changed the middle name to Rosemarie to give her grandmothers a little nod - Rosina and Mary.) She weighed 8 lbs 9 oz and is 20 3/4" long. As you can imagine, this has sent the family hurtling into the newborn zone, where everything is viewed through a chaotic fog of sleep deprivation. So, getting back into the swing of things has been slow going.

Ainsley is a beautiful little girl already, though, so I can hardly complain... a sweet, chubby-cheeked little munchkin. I'm thoroughly enjoying having a little girl already and reserve the right to savor every minute of this, knowing that you blink and they're teenagers. ;-) Jason has loved every minute as well. I told him she'd wrap him around her little finger, but he didn't believe me. Poor guy never saw the cuteness coming and has been blindsided... and Mommy thinks it's absolutely adorable.

We've been taking a ton of photos, but so far I only have one picture uploaded, which was taken an hour after she was born. Jason wants to tweak with the pics first, but when he's done I'll post the url to more pics of our newest munchkin.

That's all for now. More from me when I find my way out of the midnight-feeding induced fog.
Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Rain on the Brain" by Marty Casey and the Lovehammers

On Writing

2006-01-06T13:00:00.000-05:00

It's amazing what happens when you take a couple of months away from writing and start rereading a manuscript. One of these days I'll actually learn the English language with some degree of fluency... ungh. But in the meantime, I'm glad I can actually see the errors. That means I can do something about 'em.

I wanted to go back through Pt. 1 and do a revision for a second edition, but now I'm ascared. ;-)

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Who Did You Think I Was?" by John Mayer Trio

Hodge Podge

2006-01-06T11:35:00.000-05:00

So, I figured that I should post something on the blog today, because the last thing I want to do is offend Micah past the good humor he's already had with my previous post. He's a good sport, and when he posts the Photoshopped pic of me with a Hitler moustache on his blog, then I will have fully deserved it. ;-)

But for now, I thank him for his grace and vow to keep bumping that post down to the bottom of the page. Now, on to some miscellaneous musings, mumblings, and meanderings I've had as of late.

First of all, prayers go out to the families of the West Virginia miners. I've been following the story and cannot begin to imagine what that emotional roller coaster ride must have been like.
Secondly, does anyone have a spare muzzle for Pat Robertson? I know Christianity is going to be repugnant and offensive to nonbelievers sometimes, but why the heck he goes out of his way to make us look like dolts for all the wrong reasons is beyond me. Frank Turk recommended Pat retire and fade into the background now and I couldn't agree more, especially now that he seems to have lost his final shred of reason and lapsed into muttering dispensational incoherencies.

BTW - As I said on a discussion list this morning, "Does modern-day Israel even have a right towards some divine land claim when they have broken the covenant and rejected the Messiah?" Food for thought.

Next, I have to add a word of praise here for the failed TV series Firefly. I got the full series on DVD for Christmas and have begun watching it. Wow. The character depth and awesome writing are classic Joss Whedon, which makes this not only worthy of watching, but worthy of lamenting. There are interesting shows on TV these days, but not many that have the depth that series like Firefly did. And love or hate Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, they were always very rich in characters and written with a precision woefully lacking in television. (The dialogue alone is something I aspire to with a great degree of envy. ;-) )

I shall continue to pray for the salvation of Joss Whedon... as well as the salvation of Eric Clapton and anyone else who can make a guitar do what he does. Artistic talent is truly a gift from God.

Finally, props have to go out to a friend who took the plunge and published his first book with Booksurge. One of these days I need to make a list of my friends' self-published efforts so anyone interested in independent literary efforts can support us starving artists, but for now Peter Pike's (the CalvinD00D) Lulu book page is found here, and my book can be ordered through either Lulu or Amazon.com.

That's all for now. Until next time, remember... It ain't worth it unless it has more cowbell.

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Rain All Day" by Fleming & John.

Separated at Birth?

2006-01-05T13:54:00.000-05:00

To take a page from Purgatorio, we were reading a new article on LarkNews about Rick Warren and saw the picture of him featured below. (Rick Warren is on the right.) Someone in channel commented on how uncannily Warren resembled one of my buddies, Micah, so I had to post this:

Freaky, isn't it? Have you failed to tell us something, Micah? ;-)

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Hitchin' a Ride" by Green Day

Something Broke on the Mountain

2005-12-30T12:33:00.000-05:00

James White of Alpha and Omega Ministries posts a link to this article on WorldNetDaily discussing the film "Brokeback Mountain". Some highlights of the article:

But then, said the article, Gyllenhaal jumped to his feel and exclaimed triumphantly: "I mean, people's minds have been changed. That's amazing."

Changed indeed. And that's the goal. Film is, by its very nature, highly propagandistic. That is, when you read a book, if you detect you're being lied to or manipulated, you can always stop reading, close the book momentarily and say, "Wait just a minute, there's something wrong here!" You can't do that in a film: You're bombarded with sound and images, all expertly crafted to give you selected information and to stimulate certain feelings, and you can't stop the barrage, not in a theater anyway. The visuals and sound and music – and along with them, the underlying agenda of the filmmakers – pursue you relentlessly, overwhelming your emotions and senses.

And when you leave the theater, unless you're really objective to what you've experienced, you've been changed – even if just a little bit.

------------------------------

OK, I'll bite. Let's talk about love. The critics call "Brokeback Mountain" a "pure" and "magnificent" love story. Do we really want to call such an obsession – especially one that destroys marriages and is based on constant lies, deceit and neglect of one's children – "love"?

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "The Man Who Sold the World" (Unplugged) by Nirvana

Ooh, Bright Shiny Object

2005-12-29T16:43:00.000-05:00

I meant to post something about Christmas, but have been battling a little bit of a late-term infection. (Baby's ok, praise the Lord, but it was really making me miserable.) So, let me just offer everyone a belated Merry Christmas and an early Happy New Year in case circumstances prevent me from posting before then. :-) Little Ainsley hasn't been born yet and Jason's curious to see if she'll be a New Year's baby. I'm just reaching that point where I'd love this to be over with. (Ah, the ninth month. Never ask a woman about being pregnant when she's in her ninth month, unless you want to be subject to a long, tiring rant full of moaning and complaining. ;-) )

Anyway, just sitting here wanting to write something, but it's so hard to get started when you've been stopped for a while. Afraid to look at what I was working on before lest I break down in tears and proclaim to the world just how much I suck and that I should be shot once the baby is born. ;-) Anyone else ever have 'Staring at the Computer Blankly Syndrome' too... when you're having a hard time getting that ball rolling again?

I can open that manuscript up again... really, I can. I can, I can, I can, I...

... maybe tommorrow.

Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Bubble Toes" by Jack Johnson

20 Facts About Mr. T

2005-12-13T17:23:00.000-05:00

I got this from a Discussion List I belong to. Classic :-)

20 Facts About Mr. T

Every time a bell rings, Mr. T pities a fool.

Mr. T speaks only when necessary. His main form of communication is
folding his arms and slowly shaking his head. Regardless of the
situation, he is always understood.

Mr. T once punched Chuck Norris at the exact moment that Norris
roundhouse-kicked Mr. T in the chest. The result was the 80's.

Twenty-three. That's the number of fools Mr. T has pitied in the time
it has taken you to read this sentence.

Mr. T does not break wind. He destroys it.

Mr. T ended the civil rights movement by getting on a bus ... all the
caucasian people moved to the back.

Mr. T is allergic to doorknobs. That's why he can only kick through
doors.

Mr. T's pity for fools is used by mathematicians as a demonstration of
the concept of infinity.

There are only four horsemen of the apocalypse because Mr. T is going
to walk.

Mr. T coined the phrase "I see dead people" after the wait staff at
Denny's forgot his birthday.

Mr. T's editioin of the VH1 show "Where Are They Now?" was the shortest
in the show's history. It was 10 seconds of a black screen with the
words "Right Behind You" written on it.

Contrary to popular belief, Mr. T is not black. It's just that the sun
is afraid to shine on him.

Behind every great man there is a great woman. Behind that woman is Mr.
T.

Mr. T once pitied the sun. The ice age followed.

Mr. T puts the laughter in manslaughter.

The last time Mr. T went to McDonald's, Ronald McDonald greeted him.
What occurred next proved to be the most violent beating of a clown
ever recorded in human history.

Mr. T was fired from the Psychic Friends Network for always predicting
"pain."

If there is a fool in the woods and nobody is around to hear his jibba
jabba, Mr. T is still able to pity him.

It took five women 2 years to give birth to Mr. T.

Mr. T once appeared on the show "Fear Factor," not as a contestant, but
as a stunt. there were no winners and six deaths. Mr. T has not been
invited back.

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Doesn't Remind Me" by Audioslave

Of Sabbaticals and Superheroes

2005-12-12T13:33:00.000-05:00

I wish Blogger would do something like Wordpress does and let you file posts under categories. If it does and I've missed it, let me know. Otherwise... I'd file this post under "The Trials and Tribulations of Being a Writer". ;-)

Lately, I've been thinking about just what a roller coaster year 2005 has been for me. I started the year working full time at the bakery, frustrated that I couldn't be home writing full time again as I had been before Jason was laid off from his job in August. In the middle there, we had a couple of marital warning bumps and made it through just fine. I got my wish and steamrolled back into the Shadow Fox project full bore. We changed artists and I dealt with the hair pulling that accompanies producing an independent comic, until we finally had Issue #1 and brought it with us to our second Wizard World Chicago con.
But shortly after Chicago, I discovered I had been pregnant for a while (surprise, surprise) without knowing it and that effort we put into the project started to slow to a stop because of my fatigue and a few other reasons that I can't divulge on the blog. And, in truth, I think it was God's grace that I had to call a time out anyway, and was given a valid excuse to do so, because things that have happened in the meantime would have discouraged me to the point of being depressed if I didn't have something else to focus on. But there's another reason I've been grateful for the break.

Anyone who has written for at least a few years will be able to sympathize with this condition. You write and write and the world seems to be your oyster. You tell yourself that you could keep up this pace indefinitely because you've finally found your calling in life and as such you shoot forward like a bottle rocket soaring into the night sky. But what goes up inevitably comes back down. Motivation gives way to fatigue, sparks become a burn out, and before you know it the candle's been depleted without you realizing you were burning it at both ends. You stare at the mountain of ideas you had been working on and either hit an impasse, or don't have the gusto to work on it, but you feel obligated to work on it anyway. This is especially true if you've started something that is a major undertaking (like a novel series or a comic book project). You find yourself plugging along more out of obligation than out of passion.

I was afraid I was developing "life ambition ADD" when I sat at my desk after Chicago and had a hard time making these stories that I love and have carefully crafted for three years come out onto paper. I tried to switch tracks and work on an unrelated story, but that didn't want to come out as well, and bring pregnant and tired forced me to the decision that I had better just leave writing alone for a few months until I had the baby and had the energy to proceed once again. I refuse not to finish what I started, but I hated not feeling the passion I once had and wondered to myself... would it ever come back?

And then something magical happened about a week ago. We were driving in the car and a familiar tune started playing on the radio - one of those tunes that threw a scene into my head and got me thinking about my characters once again. It's not that I ever completely stopped, but for the first time in a while I wanted to write that scene again and bemoaned not being far enough in the book to appropriately start that chapter. Today the same thing happened when I got up and began milling about the house and I bubbled up with so much glee that I could hardly contain myself. It was then that I knew I wouldn't be leaving this project suspended in limbo. I needed this break to catch my breath so that I could keep going again.

I guess the moral of this story is that every now and then something has to thrust us out of our ruts or else we'll get consumed. This was one of the positive things that came from my stint full time at the bakery - by the time I went to part time, I was ready to rip someone's head off if I didn't get a chance to work on the book some more. Likewise, I'm eager to do some more writing and hope I get a chance to fit in some work before the baby comes. But one of the other morals that both that time and this time have taught me is how important it is for me to make sure I'm focusing in on my family as well, and since a great deal of my writing time has been going towards family, I saw how much I need to make sure I'm not prioritizing my project over their well being.

The books will be easy to come back to, but the comics... *sigh* At times I feel like Sisyphus, rolling the boulder but never reaching the top. I thought those days were over, but that was my folly in assuming and I'm only left with one surety: Everything happens in God's perfect time and there's a reason why I've had the "troubles" I've been having with production of the comic. I just hope the problem isn't me.

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Processed Beats" by Kasabian

Kneel Before Zod in 2008!

2005-12-07T14:19:00.000-05:00

Surrender your country to General Zod.

Julie <><

Mmm... Music

2005-12-05T12:36:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have a confession to make, if it hasn't been evident from some of my "Currently Listening to" notes and radio.blog playlists. (Yes, I know I need to update the radio.blog.) I like John Mayer. I know this is like a woman admitting she likes Clay Aiken, and indeed I had the chance to see John Mayer for my last birthday and declined because I knew I'd be subjecting the hubby to a room full of screaming women. The poor guy would have wanted to shrink under his seat and disappear.
But I don't like him for most of the reasons a lot of women out there like him. "Your Body is a Wonderland" is my least favorite John Mayer song, for instance, and it's because: 1. The sound is so typical pop, 2. I wouldn't be surprised if JM wrote it, thinking to himself, 'Yeah this'll get the chicks going', 3. Perhaps my husband is no cassanova, but I've never needed him to be the guy in this song and would find it weird to hear him say these things to me. But I love "Come Back to Bed" from his newer disc and it's because it picked up on something I've heard hinted at in some of his best songs: JM likes the blues and when he gets going on this vein he produces some awesome tunes.

So, it happened that the other night I followed a link from a link and saw the Wikipedia article for John Mayer. At the very beginning, it was noted that "In 2005, he made a transition towards the Blues genre", words that caused me to stop and perk up an eyebrow. Blues? I knew he liked being involved with blues and saw a PBS performance where he paired up with an old-time blues guitarist and went to town playing "Come Back to Bed" with him. It was magical to see two guitar pros lighting up riffs like that so I read on to see more of what this transition was all about. That's when I saw a note at the end of the article about the "John Mayer Trio", a collaboration formed between JM, bassist Pino Palladino, and drummer Steve Jordan. I visited their official site, listened to a couple of sample tunes they have on MySpace, and then loaded Yahoo! Unlimited and went on the search for their live album Try!.

Incredible is indeed a word. And it's application here would be more than apropos. It was everything about JM I've loved, only a little more concentrated and with the added talent of other musicians that seem to have a similar vibe. The tracks on Try! are not all pure blues, but they all have a rock/blues feel to them and feature that awesome guitar playing I heard on that PBS concert. If you have a subscription to something like MusicMatch OnDemand or Yahoo! Unlimited, then I highly recommend searching for the disc under John Mayer and giving it a trial spin. As for me, I'm going to pick up the disc when money allows so we can blast it in the car. :-D

Peace,
Julie <><

Currently Listening to: "Who Did You Think I Was?" by John Mayer Trio

Is Wal-Mart Bad for America?

2005-12-05T12:13:00.000-05:00

You tell me.

Julie <><

Lamentations of the Father

2005-11-23T09:27:00.000-05:00

This was sent to me by my friend Eric. I got such a kick out of it that I figured some of you all might as well:

Household Principles
-Lamentations of the Father by Ian Frazier

Laws of Forbidden Places

Of the beasts of the field, and of the fishes of the sea, and of all foods that are acceptable in my sight you may eat, but not in the living room.

Of the hoofed animals, broiled or ground into burgers, you may eat, but not in the living room.

Of the cloven-hoofed animal, plain or with cheese, you may eat, but not in the living room.

Of the cereal grains, of the corn and of the wheat and of the oats, and of all the cereals that are of bright color and unknown provenance you may eat, but not in the living room.

Of quiescently frozen dessert and of all frozen after-meal treats you may eat, but absolutely not in the living room.

Of the juices and other beverages, yes, even of those in sippy-cups, you may drink, but not in the living room, neither may you carry such therein. Indeed, when you reach the place where the living room carpet begins, of any food or beverage there you may not eat, neither may you drink.

But if you are sick, and are lying down and watching something, then may you eat in the living room.

Laws When at Table

And if you are seated in your high chair, or in a chair such as a greater person might use, keep your legs and feet below you as they were. Neither raise up your knees, nor place your feet upon the table, for that is an abomination to me. Yes, even when you have an interesting bandage to show, your feet upon the table are an abomination, and worthy of rebuke.

Drink your milk as it is given you, neither use on it any utensils, nor fork, nor knife, nor spoon, for that is not what they are for; if you will dip your blocks in the milk, and lick it off, you will be sent away.

When you have drunk, let the empty cup then remain upon the table, and do not bite it upon its edge and by your teeth hold it to your face in order to make noises in it sounding like a duck: for you will be sent away.

When you chew your food, keep your mouth closed until you have swallowed, and do not open it to show your brother or your sister what is within; I say to you, do not so, even if your brother or your sister has done the same to you.

Eat your food only; do not eat that which is not food; neither seize the table between your jaws, nor use the raiment of the table to wipe your lips. I say again to you, do not touch it, but leave it as it is.

And though your stick of carrot does indeed resemble a marker, draw not with it upon the table, even in pretend, for we do not do that, that is why.

And though the pieces of broccoli are very like small trees, do not stand them upright to make a forest, because we do not do that, that is why.

Sit just as I have told you, and do not lean to one side or the other, nor slide down until you are nearly slid away. Heed me; for if you sit like that, your hair will go into the syrup. And now behold, even as I have said, it has come to pass.

Laws Pertaining to Dessert

For we judge between the plate that is unclean and the plate that is clean, saying first, if the plate is clean, then you shall have dessert.

But of the unclean plate, the laws are these: If you have eaten most of your meat, and two bites of your peas with each bite consisting of not less than three peas each, or in total six peas, eaten where I can see, and you have also eaten enough of your potatoes to fill two forks, both forkfuls eaten where I can see, then you shall have dessert.

But if you eat a lesser number of peas, and yet you eat the potatoes, still you shall not have dessert; and if you eat the peas, yet leave the potatoes uneaten, you shall not have dessert, no, not even a small portion thereof.

And if you try to deceive by moving the potatoes or peas around with a fork, that it may appear you have eaten what you have not, you will fall into iniquity. And I will know, and you shall have no dessert.

On Screaming

Do not scream; for it is as if you scream all the time. If you are given a plate on which two foods you do not wish to touch each other are touching each other, your voice rises up even to the ceiling, while you point to the offense with the finger of your right hand; but I say to you scream not, only remonstrate gently with the server, that the server may correct the fault.

Likewise if you receive a portion of fish from which every piece of herbal seasoning has not been scraped off, and the herbal seasoning is loathsome to you and steeped in vileness, again I say, refrain from screaming. Though the vileness overwhelm you, and cause you a faint unto death, make not that sound from within your throat, neither cover your face, nor press your fingers to you nose. For even not I have made the fish as it should be; behold, I eat it myself, yet do not die.

Concerning Face and Hands

Cast your countenance upward to the light, and lift your eyes to the hills, that I may more easily wash you off. For the stains are upon you; even to the very back of your head, there is rice thereon.

And in the breast pocket of your garment, and upon the tie of your shoe, rice and other fragments are distributed in a manner wonderful to see.

Only hold yourself still; hold still, I say. Give each finger in its turn for my examination thereof, and also each thumb. Lo, how iniquitous they appear. What I do is as it must be; and you shall not go hence until I have done.

Various Other Laws, Statutes, and Ordinances

Bite not, lest you be cast into quiet time. Neither drink of your own bath water, nor of the bath water of any kind; nor rub your feet on bread, even if it be in the package; nor rub yourself against cars, not against any building; nor eat sand. Leave the cat alone, for what has the cat done, that you should so afflict it with tape? And hum not the humming in your nose as I read, nor stand between the light and the book. Indeed, you will drive me to madness. Nor forget what I said about the tape.

Complaints and Lamentations

O my children, you are disobedient. For when I tell you what you must do, you argue and dispute hotly even to the littlest detail; and when I do not accede, you cry out, and hit and kick. Yes, and even sometime do you spit, and shout "stupid-head" and other blasphemies, and hit and kick the wall and the molding thereof when you are sent to the corner.

And though the law teaches that no one shall be sent to the corner for more minutes than he has years of age, yet I would leave you there all day, so mighty am I in anger. But upon being sent to the corner you ask straight-away, "Can I come out?" and I reply, "No, you may not come out." And again you ask, and again I give the same reply. But when you ask again a third time, then you may come out.

Hear me, O my children, for the bills they kill me. I pay and pay again, even to the twelfth time in a year, and yet again they mount higher than before.

For our health, that we may be covered, I give six hundred and twenty talents twelve times in a year; but even this covers not the fifteen hundred deductible for each member of the family within a calendar year. And yet for ordinary visits we still are not covered, nor for many medicines, nor for the teeth within our mouths. Guess not at what rage is in my mind, for surely you cannot know.

For I will come to you at the first of the month and at the fifteenth of the month with the bills and a great whining and moan.

And when the month of taxes comes, I will decry the wrong and unfairness of it, and mourn with wine and ashtrays, and rend my receipts.

And you shall remember that I am that I am: before, after, and until you are twenty-one. Hear me then, and avoid me in my wrath, O children of me.

Must Be Jack Kevorkian's Church

2005-11-21T10:01:00.000-05:00

In other news, we're getting ready to move this Saturday and have a bunch of stuff on our plate from moving, Thanksgiving, and various and sundry commitments. In other words, don't be surprised if I'm a little quiet due to these things, and please pray everything runs smoothly. Mock the comment spammers if I can't get around to deleting their comments, keep the kids from running around with sharp objects, and distract Rusty with Star Wars and Harry Potter paraphernalia while I'm away. :-D

And, as always, thanks be to our sponsors, the NAACP

... and the Irish Palm Pilot.

Peace,
Julie <><

P.S. - If you look over to the left (for now) you'll see I signed up for one of those Frappr accounts. Let me know where you all are checking in from, if you feel so inclined. ;-)

Currently Listening to: "Traffic in the Sky" by Jack Johnson