The Writers Stall

Happy New Year

2012-01-01T13:11:00.001Z

A very happy new year to everyone. All the best for 2012

- Jim

Reflections and Resolutions

2011-12-30T11:02:00.000Z

Greetings all,

I hope you all had a wonderful Chranukwanzadan.

This one was very special for me as it was the first one I have been able to spend with my family since 2004. As I sit and contemplate this, I find myself looking at the coming new year with a new perspective. In recent years, around this time, I've faced the new year with trepidation and dread. As you all know, 2010 was not exactly a good year for me and coming into 2011 was daunting to say the least. If you had told me a year ago that I would be not only back home engaged to my school crush, I would have laughed in your face. Yet here I am, happy as can be.

So this year instead of the normal resolutions I've decided to give something back. Recently I became aware of the charity ICAN. This is a charity that helps children with communication problems. They say it better than I could so:

We are the children’s communication charity. I CAN’s mission is to ensure that no child who struggles to communicate is left out or left behind. Our vision is a world where all children and young people who struggle to communicate receive the help they need so that they can have a happy childhood, make progress at school and thrive as adults.

I grew up with (and still have) speech problems. It would have been fantastic to have had the support of a group like this. So this new years resolution is to support these guys. My first pledge is to donate to the Adopt A Word program.

Now I know this might look like a token effort so I have something larger up my sleeve to raise money. I can't go into too much detail just yet as it's all in the initial stages. Let's just say it will involve facing quite a few of my fears at one time. Not spiders though...that's just not going to happen...EVER!!

So what have you wonderful people decided to do this year?

Happy Primary Gift Giving Festival Day

2011-12-26T12:13:00.001Z

A very merry Christmas to all of you out there in meat land.

J B

Let Us Never Forget

2011-11-11T11:07:00.000Z

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, I looked over my homeland, once occupied and enslaved and I gave a silent thank you.

The Writer vs The Virus

2011-11-09T11:02:00.000Z

IN THE RED CORNER

Here to prove that the pen is mightier than the sword, The Pylon from the island (I never said Iwas good at rhyming): Jim the writer!

AND IN THE BLUE CORNER

Coming out of retirement after 21 years in a nerve cell; The bug with the gloves: SHINGLES

That's right folks, I have been stricken by the little beggar that has, apparently, been laying dormant in a nerve cell since the last time I had chicken pox. No one has ever mentioned to me how painful this incarnation is. Oh and anyone that tells you that you only get chicken pox once is lying, I've had it twice. Does this count as a third time?

So I have some time off work and to prevent the onset of cabin fever, decided to do some writing for this years NaNoWriMo. It seemed like a good idea at the time, until I discovered that sitting at the desk just irritates things even more and increases the pain.

Still, we're supposed to suffer for our art are we not? And it has given me the chance to make a start on the new short: The Crows and the Tree.

So how are things going for my fellow Wrimo'ers? Are you reaching your targets?

Gone Home, Please Leave A Message With The Doorman

2011-07-20T09:57:00.000+01:00

Well these past 2 months have certainly been eventful.

What began as a little 3 week holiday to visit family and friends has become me moving back to my old stomping grounds. That's right folks, I have left the good old USA and returned to my little island home of Guernsey.

Why? You ask. To be honest there is no single reason for it, rather it was a decision made after considering a lot of factors. Not least of which was the health of family members.

I have to admit that it is a little odd being back in my childhood room as so many years. But then at the same time I have found that this move has invigorated my passion for writing. This is, after all, where it all began those many years ago. I can still remember being sixteen and making my first tentative steps into this tumultuous world we call writing. Sitting for hours at my old electric typewriter during the school holidays as I labored over The Lighthouse.

Regular viewers will have heard me mention this story before. And you may also remember how the original manuscript had been found recently. Well I've had a chance to look over it and although my style has certainly changed and improved over the years, there is still a lot of potential in the basic concepts. So I'm happy to announce for all those who were there in the beginning, that the story is going to be re-written. Hopefully it will be even more spine chilling.

By the way, this is the particular lighthouse that gave me the original idea.

That's the Hanois lighthouse off the south coast of Guernsey.

So here's to the next chapter in the grand novel we call life. Turn the page and expect the unexpected.

There Is An Ant On My Manuscript

2011-04-30T18:36:00.000+01:00

Right now I am sitting on my sofa watching an ant crawling over the print out of Maidens Song I have been editing. He's scuttling around, randomly checking out words. I'm thinking of giving him a very small pen so he can get on with this crappy job and give me a break.It's funny how you can be so certain of something only to have it suddenly shoot off in a different direction.

That's a thing people don't realize about writing. Our stories tend to take on a life of their own, become like old friends. And just like people they grow and change. And just like people they can be awkward SOB's who seem to delight in doing whatever they can to annoy you.

Oh well, once more onto the breach dear friends.

jbangell.com - UPDATE

2011-04-02T16:25:00.001+01:00

System updated, passwords reset and website restored from backup.

Knew I should have stuck with blogger.

jbangell.com - HACKED

2011-04-02T16:15:00.000+01:00

My author site, jbangell.com has been hacked.

I don't even want to say what the alien links go to. I'm working to fix it now and get it locked down. Watch this space for updates.

H.P. Lovecraft - (20 August 1890–15 March 1937)

2011-03-15T14:12:00.000Z

Today marks the 74th anniversary of the passing of my favorite author; H.P. Lovecraft

For those that don't know, Lovecraft is the creator of the Chthulhu mythos. His work has influenced almost all horror in the last 50 years, including masters such as Stephen King.

If you have never read his work then now is a great time to start. His collections can be found at all good book stores (both online and old school) and for my fellow Kindel users, you can often find free versions on Amazon.

To learn more about the man and his work check out the H.P. Lovecraft Archive

New Release: 30 Pieces of Silver by Carolyn McCray

2011-03-01T00:45:00.000Z

My good friend @craftymc has just released her historical thriller "30 Pieces of Silver". For those that don't know:

A Christian suicide bomber.
John the Baptist's bones inscribed in ancient Greek.
A secret carried from the foot of the crucifixion.
Can science solve the world's greatest mystery?
30 Pieces of Silver

The novel is available for the Kindle.

But that's not all folks.

Buy yours today for the great price of $0.99. I've downloaded mine and plan on starting the second I've got this posted.

Happy reading.

Lost And Found

2011-01-08T05:43:00.000Z

I thought you were lost when I let you go before,
I was wrong
I thought you were gone and out of my life,
I was wrong

I thought you were lost to me forever, an eternity apart

I was wrong

So many years between us, too much I thought
I was wrong
Now I have you back and I realize you never left
I look into my heart,
And you are found

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T03:47:00.000Z

A very Merry Christmas to everyone. May the holidays bring you joy and love for you and yours.

A Couple of Teasers

2010-12-12T16:36:00.000Z

I've added some excerpts from various works over on my author website:

jbangell.com

There are some tantalizing little tidbits to wet the appetite.

Enjoy.

A Humbug Moment

2010-12-11T21:48:00.000Z

Now granted I'm not the worlds biggest fan of Christmas, but I do enjoy Christmas music. I miss the old days of working on the karaoke circuit back on the mother rock. There's nothing like getting all of the locals in the pub singing together (normally out of tune) in the true spirit of the season. So many happy memories.

So anyway, we have just had our department Christmas lunch at work. As normal I was put in charge of providing the music. While sorting going through my collection and sorting out the playlist I found that I had lost my favorite album (The best christmas album in the world...ever, in case you are interested).

"No problem" thought I, "I'll hop on Amazon and grab it from their mp3 store"

So all is well in the world...or is it. In recent years I have noticed a disturbing trend with Christmas music. Namely the non-Chritsmassyness of the #1 in the charts. Okay that by itself isn't a bad thing and I don't really have a problem with it. What I do have a problem with is the record companies removing Christmas songs from Christmas albums and replacing them with the songs that just happened to be #1 at Christmas in previous years...regardless of relevance.

Now don't get me wrong, I like quite like Frankie Goes to Hollywood. I just don't think Power of Love has any place on a Christmas album. To me this is like putting Celine Dion on a Rob Zombie album.

Am I alone in hating this practice? What are you opinions?

Another NaNo Update

2010-11-07T05:15:00.000Z

Sometimes an idea just doesn't work and you can spend a week trying to force it. For me that just doesn't work when it comes to writing. It's either going to flow or it's not. So here we are, almost a week into NaNoWriMo and I decide to scrap everything I have written so far. Why?

Because it sucked little baby ducks!

Proving once again that inspiration can hit you when you least expect it, I have come up with much better idea. I'm still going with a series of short stories but they are all going to have an underlying theme connecting them. The result is a sudden and unexpected 1500 words cranked out this evening.

I have a good feeling about this.

NaNoWriMo - Day 4 Update

2010-11-06T01:26:00.001Z

So here we are on day 4 of NaNo and I've had a complete change of plan. I just wasn't feeling the story the story I started with. Instead I've decided to go with a series of short stories, Mistress of Potions being the first.

Of course this means I'm now four days behind but that's okay. There will plenty of time to panic at the end of the month.

NaNoWriMo in 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.....

2010-11-01T05:07:00.000Z

Less than 1 hour until the start of this years NaNoWriMo and as always I am totally unprepared. No idea where the story is going to go, no idea of who my characters will be and absolutely no clue as to what the hell is going on. So pretty much business as usual...and I wouldn't have it any other way.

So here's wishing all the best to my fellow Wrimos. In the words of Kelsey Grammer in Down Periscope;

"Let's kick this pig"

Oh and here's my wrimo page for anyone interested: http://www.nanowrimo.org/eng/user/437395

Halloween, Timelords and Free Candy

2010-10-17T19:39:00.001+01:00

It's almost that time of year again when I get to dress up and take candy from strangers. That's right, All Hallows Eve is upon us.

Traditionally at work we try and get as many of the staff to dress up as we can, although in my department I'm normally the only one who actually bothers (miserable swine). This year, however, one of my new minions wants in on the act and has decided to turn up as the 11th Doctor Who. "Aha," says I "wouldn't it be cool if I then came as the 10th Doctor?!"

Now people are often surprised when I say I'm going to do a costume. I always respond with:

"Of course I'm doing one, I'm a nerd remember"

They are even more shocked when I tell them I do my own makeup (hello, majored in drama at school). This is probably more to do with my general lack of talent when it comes to anything remotely artsy.

And so began my mission to recreate the costume worn by David Tennant during his run as the errant Timelord. I could probably go out and search the web for pre-made costumes, but that's really not my style (mostly because I'm too cheap ;) ). To be honest I've never really been a fan of replica costumes. They always seem to be lacking something. Call it a certain amount of realism if you will.

So here are a few tips that I have picked up over the years:

Hair

I hate wearing wigs, especially if I will be costume all day. They're itchy and hot and generally uncomfortable. Whenever possible try and style your own hair. Now this might need a bit of plan before hand to make sure you have enough hair to do the job.

The same goes for facial hair (sorry ladies, you'll have to use falsies for this part). Make sure you leave enough time to grow any that you need. That was one of the mistakes I made in the Jack Sparrow costume pictured below. I had the basic shape but wasn't able to grow it fast enough to recreate the beard dreads.

Props

These can make or break a costume. If you have the resources and time to make your own replicas then by all means do it. I have a friend who is currently recreating a Kadaj costume (which is going to rock by the way). She's also a mechanical engineer so she decided to make the double bladed sword herself. And I have to say that compared to a lot of the pre-made props I have seen, this piece is amazing.

However, don't be turned of and think that if you don't make it yourself it won't be as good. Just make sure you take the time to find the right prop piece. This is an area where it's better to spend a little bit more and get the officially licensed product or a very very good replica (custom lightsabers spring to mind)

Clothing

The meat and potatoes of any costume is obviously the clothing itself. And this is where I think that the pre-made outfits fall short. They always look too new. How many items of clothing do you where on a regular basis that still look the way did when you bought them?

I find that one of the best sources for this step is no further than your nearest charity shop. This isn't my cheapness coming out (well maybe a little), this is much more practical. Remember, there is a good chance that you will need to make alterations to get things looking right. What do feel more comfortable doing: Altering a pair of pants that you just bought for $60 from the nearest chain store? Or altering the pair you got for $2 from the charity shop?

Kind of a no-brainer really. Again, the Jack Sparrow costume below is probably 95% charity shop. The waistband was originally a shirt that was cut into stripes and sewn together. Now of course it can be a bit hit and miss as to if the charity store will have in what you need so sometimes buying new is the only option.

You shouldn't be worried about gender specific items either (and this one is mostly for the guys). The shirt seen below is actually one of my ex-wife's blouses. Use whatever works to get the desired look.

So with bit of planning and some reckless abandon, you should be able to recreate anything that you can put your mind to.

NaNoWriMo is Just Around the Corner

2010-10-06T23:27:00.000+01:00

It's that time of year again folks; NaNoWriMo is just a few weeks away.

For those who have never heard of it, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is a yearly event that challenged writers to do a minimum of 50,000 words during the month of November. The prize? Simply knowing that you have achieved something awesome.

I wasn't able to participate last year but I'm ready and eager to get going this year. Thanks to my recent vacation I have managed to get my basic concept down to two outlines. I really might have to toss a coin to decide which one.

I owe a lot to NaNo. It is thanks to this contest and more importantly to my dear friend Cherie for persuading me to do it, that I got back to writing.

I know we all have our projects, but sometimes it can be good to put those down and just have a bit of fun with our writing (yeah I know, "we must suffer for our art" ;) ). And even if you don't enter this year, you might be able to inspire someone else to do it. Who knows, it could be a life changing event for them. It certainly was for me.

For more information head on over to the NaNoWriMo website: http://www.nanowrimo.org/

Holidays and Fresh Inspiration

2010-09-27T22:59:00.000+01:00

Right now I am sitting in Salt Lake City International Airport waiting to board my flight.

This is my first trip back to Guernsey (aka The Rock) in over three years and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it. I've been thinking about what I want to do for NaNoWriMo this year and have a vague idea of what it will be. The problem is that I have too many ideas and the damn thing keeps changing on me. What I really need is a change of scenery and some fresh inspiration. And nowhere on earth inspires me more than the golden shores and deep green of my former home.

The chance to feel the fresh ocean breeze on my face and smell that Guernsey air, so heavy with the scent of wild flowers is more than welcome.

Of course being able paddle my feet and consume several portions of fish and chips aren't a bad thing either.

This past month has been pretty rough going for me on a personal level. This trip, short though it maybe, is going to be the start of my new life. When we are hit with personal tragedy we have a choice: Give up, wither and fade away or grab the future by the hair and say "BRING IT ON"

I choose the latter.

So here's to the future and I will see you all when I get back.

The Dangers of a Good Idea

2010-09-21T03:42:00.000+01:00

Recently my boss came up to me and said:

"You're a writer right?"

I nod tentatively. Experience tells me that I'm about to get handed a crappy job that everybody else managed to avoid.

"You know what you should write," he says, a look of glee on his face "You should write a sitcom based around the day to day happenings around here."

Okay I wasn't expecting that. And I have to admit it's a good idea. For those who don't know I work as a sys-admin for an engineering college so there is certainly no shortage of material. The dilemma is if I should actually do this or not. Let's forget for the moment that I have absolutely no idea on how to write a sitcom and get straight to the part where I can seriously damage my career.

Let's face it; People see themselves in a certain way. And what might be hilarious to the rest of us is a matter of personal pride for them. And while the guy holding my pink slip is the one who came up with the idea, there's a very good chance he wouldn't like the caricature I create.

So on the one hand I have this cracking idea that has great potential but could cost me my job. The on the other I have the option to file it away for a later date when the flow constant flow of gut busting material is no longer available. I suppose the upside of the former is that I would have a lot more time to write if I get fired.

Hmmmm...where did I put my notebook.

Sarnian Jewel

2010-09-17T05:06:00.000+01:00

Fields of emerald green, with halo of golden sands

Faces of towering rock, defiant against the relentless seas

Never will I see a beauty that can compare to you

Be it mountain, or river, or sun kissed paradise

You are forever with me wherever I may go

In my heart, my soul, my very essence

My Sarnian Jewel

Review - Plain Jane by Cristyn West

2010-08-15T21:22:00.000+01:00

There is an old saying that states "Blondes have more fun". They are also more likely to be stalked, abducted and murdered in just about any psychological mystery thriller you watch/read. For some reason us poor brunettes seem to get looked over when it comes to mentally disturbed maniacs. Let's face it, that maniac is more likely to be a brunette themselves. Talk about stereotyping!

Plain Jane, the new mystery thriller from Cristyn West, takes this idea and throws away the blonde.

While I don't normally read a lot of thriller novels, Plain Jane had me hooked from page 1. This is one of those stories that will have you saying "Okay one more chapter" without realizing that it is two in the morning. What sets this apart from others is the level of detail that West has created. Not only do you end up getting into the heads of the protagonists, you then put the book down and start to wonder if they have been looking back at you the whole time. And perhaps still are. Plain Jane is an expertly crafted must read novel, that may just have you looking over your shoulder whenever you step out the door.

I haven't put in much about the storyline simply because this I don't want to risk giving away anything at all. This is one of those books that you don't just read; You experience it.

Plain Jane can be purchased from Amazon.com or you can download the EBook edition by visiting Smashwords.com

The Search Begins

2010-07-25T22:00:00.000+01:00

This post not of the norm. Today I need advice on something very important and very dear to me. A little background info:

Thirty years ago in August of this year, my mother gave birth to a baby girl named Joanne (I need to double check that spelling). Because of the complexity of the situation at the time she was immediately put up for adoption. Basically I have a sister I know nothing about aside from her birth name and the name of her birth mother.

My question is this:

How do I even begin this search?
(Don't you just love these easy questions?!)

Obviously being 8000 miles from our birth place is going to complicate things a bit. However, this being the age of the interwebs you have to believe that there is some way of getting around that little inconvenience.

I'm going to be pretty much on my own with this one as half the family won't speak of it and the other half don't know about it. Any suggestions or ideas would be very much appreciated.