So, recently, I have been working the splendid Dante Drackis in a literature project for the last two months. We’re also done and we’re hoping to get it released before the end of the summer. And, this time around, I actually have no equivocation about talking about what the book is about:
Books
Sorry for the month of no blog posting. I’ve been so busy with various writing projects that I wanted to tackle and complete before I start my teaching job in China. Yes, that’s right, I’m going to be a TEFL teacher for the Chinese school system. It’s exciting and, honestly, I’m nervous as all holy hell. But because of that brilliant news, I had to do A LOT of planning and securing which meant that I didn’t have a lot of time to sit in front of my computer.
The Picture of Dorian Gray: A Gay Novel by Mark A. Roeder
I have seen various adaptations of Oscar Wilde’s classic The Picture of Dorian Gray and have yet to read the original piece. Ironic really, skipping over the original to read the LGBT adaptation. But, nevertheless, I found it to be a great read. Moreover, I like how Mark A. Roeder keep to the original while adding a sexy LGBT twist to it.
Celtic Mythology by Philip Freeman
(Disclaimer: this will be a short review!)
As I stressed in a previous post, research is very important in writing stories, especially in video games. Furthermore, I was instructed to read Celtic mythology after expressing my desire to add a personal touch to it. Why Celtic? Well, most of my friends have Irish ancestry in them and I have some British ancestry. And it’s a good thing I did, too, because it was a wonderful read.
Killer by Nature by Jan Smith
In Shonda Rhimes’s Masterclass, she eloquently pointed out that one of the many great things about being a writer is that it’s the only job that no one has to hire you for. I love that because I noticed with Audible is that, quite literally, if done to a certain standard, anybody can create wonderful piece for the world to see – or hear – without much outside help. What also interesting to notice about my choice realm of art is the variety. Take Killer by Nature, for example. Up until this point, I never thought I would be able to listen to a “season” in an audiobook format.
Folsom Untold: The Strange True Story of Johnny Cash’s Greatest Album
(Disclaimer: this will be a short review!)
Full disclosure, I know nothing about Johnny Cash. Never listened to any of his songs. Never seen his shows. Hell, I didn’t even know what he looked like up until now. I have a wiki search while listening to this Audible Original because I feel totally out of the loop. But I found that to be a good thing after it was all said and done.
Crown & Key series by Clay Griffith and Susan Griffith
Have you ever come across a book series that clearly can be adapted to the silver screen? Of course, you have and so have I. Now, have you ever come across a book series that leaves you wondering “why hasn’t it been, yet”? I’m sure you have and, now, so have I. I mean, it may consist of three books but there’s so much potential. The series is called Crown & Key and my goodness it’s marvelous.
Whatever You Say I Am: The Life and Times of Eminem by Anthony Bozza
(Disclaimer: this will be a short review!)
Hip Hop is a genre of music that I’m not a heavy listener of. It’s not that I hate. Far from it, actually. I just can’t relate to most of the artist of the genre and the message they’re trying to convey. Now, Eminem is one of the few hip hop artists I can proudly listen to. I mean…I do without the cussing but, you know, semantics. This was actually I was so excited to get started on his biography.
Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
So, the number one rule in writing for an RPG game is that research is almost always a necessity. Hell, that’s a pretty big rule in writing, anyway. But, in the realm of game writing, you can’t write a story AND create a world for that story without drawing inspiration. And, since most inspiration comes from lore…you can see where this is going, right? So, I started with Norse Mythology.
Who in the World is Carmen Sandiego by Rebecca Tinker
You have no idea how excited I was when I heard that they were creating a Netflix series starring the most famous fictional art thief. In the 1990s, I was only about to learn geography by playing this game due to my ADHD. Right! So, I tend to focus and learn things a lot easier when I’m hands-on and turning it into a game. Even still, I got the privilege of reading this Audible Original that came out around the same time as the series.