The Morning After

It is no officially over. We have elected a President for the next four years. President Barack Obama.

No more commercials. No more Presidential debates. And I promise, the wall photo I just shared of the women elected to the Senate is the last one I will send. I'm not afraid to say it. I'm a liberal democrat who voted for Barack Obama.

As a woman there was no other choice to be made. A close look at the Republican Party platform let me know rather quickly, along with Romney's choice as a running mate that my best opportunities as a woman and a professional writer lay with the Obama camp.

Some may disagree, indeed many did. But I have to admit, as things stretched long into the night and I saw the cultural divide between the North and South and as a resident of KY was embarrassed by my state's extreme sentiments. Of course, I'm reminded that as much as I love being from here and the traditions of being from a Southern family, I have to remember that people like my biological father won't even carry a picture of his grandson because he's biracial. The fact a biracial man is now president for another four years may well drive him over the edge.

As an author I have the freedom of speech to say just about whatever I want whenever I want with certain limitations. Like not to scream FIRE in a crowded movie theater. When the voter suppression effort started in force I was disgusted by a party who in an effort to win sought to shrink the electorate as opposed to expand their message to include everyone.

I am a woman. People fought before me so that I could do things that honestly I took for granted. I did my civic duty yesterday and put the only person in office who had the message that included me.

But I say to the people who are so filled with anger and bitterness that a 'way of life' is passing them by. This president wants to embrace you. He will fight for you in ways perhaps your short sighted anger won't let you see at the moment. But he knows right from wrong and has delivered in ways he promised. Have heart, things are moving forward and even if you voted against him his message includes you.

GLADIATOR & NANO

So my blog has kind of fallen into a lackluster place where I do none of the heavy lifting and let other authors come on and talk about their books. Well, too be honest. I've felt kind of burned out as of late. And yesterday I was feeling the stress and the burden of the morning after a brilliant debate performance by our president. This morning I awoke believing my book was free on Amazon. That's right folks, I woke up at 4:40AM expecting to get to work promoting GLADIATOR. But nope. It was not to be. My book, which I asked for the 24th and 25th free somehow ended up being today and tomorrow. Friday I will be occupied all day either travelling, sitting on panels, or being an exihibitor at Utopia Con. Now I could get mad and throw a fit or just kind of go with the flow. My publisher is sick and generally speaking she works very hard. I hardly think she purposefully said, 'let's sabotage Amy' lol. (Get better Lea). So if you don't hear it tomorrow. Hear it now. GLADIATOR will be free tomorrow and Friday. Download it. Enjoy it. For me it was about very real problems in this world. I just happened to write steamy sex and love story too. The language is rough. The violence is gritty. But the love story is powerful. Here's the link for tomorrow:

http://www.amazon.com/Gladiator-The-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B0094JN30M/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1351089669&sr=8-1&keywords=gladiator+kate+lynd

Okay, now that the commercial is over on to NaNoWriMo, my book tours, and where the hey my head is at. Want to know what kind of story I'm writing for this contest, check it out!

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-gLRp5bSpw

Now last year I wrote a lot of Dystopia and I will continue to explore that very fertile ground. But this year I'm returning to the playground of Another Way to Die and Set Fire to the Rain. Thrillers with a sexy competent hero with a dark and mysterious past and a deeply troubled heroine with deadly capabilities yet is very vulnerable. This song, this film inspired me to get cracking in this field again. Can't wait for November!

My Bounty Hunter book tour dates are this:

October 26-28th at the Millenium Hotel for Utopia Con in Cincinnati, OH
November 3rd at the Shepherdsville, KY Author Fair at the Ridgway Library
November 8th in Lexington, KY at Joseph Beth Booksellers at 7PM

Gladiator- And What Inspired It

- Author Kate Lynd turns up the heat in this post apocalyptic struggle of love, lust, and survival. The characters are well developed as you see the depth of their emotions throughout the novel. This novella is packed with intrigue, action, and scenes that will get your pulse racing. If you enjoy action and erotic romance, "Gladiator," is the novella for you.

- This is a great story! I have been a post-apocalyptic fan ever since I was a kid in the 80s and we all thought we were going to get nuked by the Soviets. I normally like my PA more Mad Max-style, dudes in supercharged dune buggies fighting over gas in the desert. This is a more grim and realistic look at where we'd end up "After the End" than all those cool (but cheesy) old 80s movies, and was clearly written for women, but as a guy I still loved it. The fight scenes are REALLY good, and the erotic parts were pretty damn sexy, too.

- Gladiator unravels the tale of what happened to Tristan and how he slid into the life of a gladiator as he searches for a path to redemption. This isn't a story for the under-18 crowd but the plot and characters are engaging with a world that has me longing to learn more.

And my personal favorite:

- The book itself, however, is destroyed by the absolute pornographic language throughout. The story could have been made beautiful but instead the writer chose to appeal to the lowest level of readers. I have deleted it from my Kindle library and will purchase nothing else by this author. What a letdown!

You may be asking yourself why did you include the ripping review when the others clearly enjoyed it so much? Because I wanted to prove a point. Not every book is for everybody and what one person takes away from a book is clearly not what someone else will. The first two reviews are from men. And I think it's interesting to note the third review mentions it's not for the under eighteen crowd. And the one who didn't like it considered it pornographic.

And why this revisiting of a book that's been out for a while. GLADIATOR is going to be free again tomorrow and Thursday. I love to talk about Daniel Craig, music and sexy gladiators, but in the end that's not what the story was about for me. It was a commentary on our society and how people will do self-injurious things politically when their prejudices and socially conservative views make war on their common sense. When HATE over rules our sense of right and wrong and we do stupid things in the name of that hate. 

Dystopian themes are not pretty ones. They expose the uglier sides of our culture. And GLADIATOR is the first book in a trilogy. ORACLE travels similar territory but pushes the story forward. The third book, QUEEN forces a character introduced to face the consequences of her actions and there is the question of whether or not she will find her redemption at this point. 

I love the third review for reasons the reviewer perhaps will never understand. Our current political climate terrifies me. People are willing to walk into darkness even when one party is so clearly manipulating them. To me THAT is pornographic. They use voter suppression tactics. They are attempting to shrink the electorate and push out the disenfranchised and the most vulnerable. THAT is pornographic to me. Sex, violence, and foul language? To me I find it refreshing that all three of those reviewers can read and express themselves freely as I am free to write what I want and express my views as I see fit. Because agree or disagree it is the cornerstone on which our society is built.

Where Have I Been?

Such a long, long story. Ever hear of burn out, bipolar disorder, not wanting to take your meds because you have the silly notion that they're blocking you. Well I too have fallen under this bit of fallacy and folly. I have been writing since shortly before February 2011. Either blogs, screenplays, short stories, short novels, or novellas. I've also been promoting my ass off. They tell you finding a balance is important as a 'normal' person, but as someone with bipolar disorder it is absolutely essential.

But here's the reality, when it comes to my career I am a bit of a workaholic. I write fast, I promote incessantly and I drink copious amounts of caffeine and eat horribly and probably don't get nearly enough sleep. If I don't take my meds correctly, which I am ashamed to admit I haven't been as of late, that is a sure fire recipe for disaster. And after I finished Breath of Life I watched a disastrous performance of a candidate I supported and absolutely freaked out.

I mean full on, full blown panic attack. I was dealing with these anxieties in the books I was writing as of late and the books were getting increasingly darker. (As you can see, I don't have much faith in people) I foolishly pitched an agent with an unfinished manuscript, I had 30 pages on a screenplay that was one of the strongest pieces I had ever done in that format for a contest, and me and my dad got into it. Then, the bottom fell out and I was so depressed and cried those big fat Matt Damon tears of Good Will Hunting. It was cathartic but I was considering walking away from that agent opportunity and the screenplay.

But you see, I have this aversion to quitting. Whether it's an internal competitive drive, or a left over from my days as a runner where I competed against myself, or even my will to finish and accomplish things if I only set my mind to it I don't know. I like to think it was taking the medicine and getting a cheerleading effort from my secret weapon Tanja Cilia, and a sweet fan letter from a husband and wife, Tim and Abby Druck who loved Gladiator and Bounty Hunter that lifted me up. Or maybe it was a combination of all of those things.

I'm still healing and feel raw but I know this, I'm getting better. So why don't you join me on my GLADIATOR tour. I'm giving away free stuff and there's a lot of cool info about my series to be had! Until next time...

Bounty Hunter

To say that there weren't qualities of the hunter to the left in that of Logan Mitchell Jr., the half-breed Lonegal-human of the book Bounty Hunter of my upcoming novel (my first print book by the way) would be a bold faced lie.

James Bond's redeeming quality is that he believes in his duty as a patriot to England, and more than that, to M. Reportedly that will all be tested in the coming film.

In Bounty Hunter, Logan is an outsider. Embraced by neither culture he does the only job deemed acceptable by human society, that of a bounty hunter. Tracking down human and Lonegals alike he does so with little little to no compassion and without much care as to what will happen once they are out of his possession.

The legal system is not kind to criminals, especially half-breeds and Lonegals. Not that Logan typically cares, but when the case of an escaped pregnant, p.o.w. half-breed with connections with his thought to be dead father comes across his desk Logan must decide, help her, or turn her over. While James Bond would most likely seduce her and easily turn his back given his experience with Vesper, Logan finds himself pulled in to her plight and fights within himself to get to the truth and find out is she at all what she seems.

Folks I'm going to be touring with Bounty Hunter and would be happy to see any number of you out at the different locations.

 

Gratitude

Last night I had a row of sorts with my family. They are jealous. And while I didn't help matters I take issue with a great deal of what they said. My dad is especially caustic and nasty these days. When one does not eat to their emotions everything comes out. Including the anger. I made the mistake of admitting I loved my pet more than I loved any one person in my life. But to be fair, I have trouble connecting with people. In the past people have consistently let me down, including the family of which I speak. But they don't see it that way. However, there is one thing I care more about more than anything and that is my writing. So while they remind me of why I choose my adopted family of friends over them on a consistent basis, let me express why THEY mean the world to me.

Missy, the one who is, while not perfect, is my rock as my best friend. She believes in me, she gets me, and she understands why I am the way the way I am. If she were Daniel Craig she would be perfect for me. Unfortunately she's not, so I'll settle for the friendship.

Carla, the Spike personalited, youtubing, genre movie watching, Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings fan. I can cut loose with her often enough to get relief from the dysfunction of my family to appreciate that they really do love me in spite of the inability to understand me as a person.

Fellow author Pamela Turner, where do I begin. It wasn't that long ago that the culture of the publishing industry was unkind to epub authors, and a certain element still is. But seeing your success with Death Sword gave me the courage to take the leap at digicon which I would have never found had it not been for you. I know the road is hard. And it wasn't that long ago that I felt the sting that you do, but I believe in you. I know it can happen. You are there for me in ways my family perpetually fails at. And for that I am grateful.

Elise, my writer friend I found at Adrian's Angels, my best long distance friend. You indeed are an Angel. And one day your ship will come in.

And of course Daniel Craig, Adrian Paul, Kate Winslet, Maurice Benard, Russell Crowe...too many Angels to count. The dream continues and I am grateful to you all.

Here's Hydra Author Michael Turner!

Story of an Author  Writer  a Scribbler

Dear Sanity,

A few things happened while you were out.

My name is Michael Turner, and most of what will follow, is not a lie.  The other little bit however, is very much so.  That being said, where shall we start?  Maybe we should start at the beginning, or maybe… at the end.  No… the beginning might be best, since the end has not yet found us.  It would probably just depress you anyways.  Endings always do.

So let it be known that I relate what follows, only because I believe that some of you have gone through pretty much the same.  That is correct.  I firmly believe that some of your minds are almost as warped as mine… from experience, circumstance…, and life in general.  Now strap in boys and girls, it’s going to be a bumpy ride… or maybe not.  So where was I…?  Ah… yes, the beginning.  That is where we should begin, for that will not be a lie.

I was born, (Men cheered, woman fainted, and children waved multi-colored flags. –lie, but sounds good with a British accent.) and some other things happened after that.  Then for the better part of seven years, my life was more or less, lived in a cubicle of a certain size.  Not a small one, but also not a very big one.  For most of eight hours a day, five days a week, and sometimes longer in hours and days, I sat in that cubicle.  Do you know how much solitaire and minesweeper one can play in all that time?  I found out, and it would only frighten you to know. (lie… I didn’t count) 

Most days the work did not fill the time but I still had to be there.  At least the pay was good, though the boredom of days that never seemed to end weighed heavily against the good feelings of monetary gain.  I liked to read before, but in this job, I really had the opportunity to truly devour some books.  Imagine taking four years and having the chance to just tear through almost a book a week, occasionally in less time.  I’m sure a few speed-readers out there are saying, “I do that already.”  Well I’ve never understood speed reading, and have never been able to do it.  I actually like to read things slow.  I savor every last word and syllable.  A book is like that old quote about a journey.  It’s not about getting there.   It’s about everything along the way.  I know speedy.  That’s just crazy talk.   So where were we?

The books unfortunately only kept my mind occupied for so long.  Did I mention that I get bored easily?  Well… I do.  After awhile the boredom and I think a bit of insanity was digging its way through my brain.  This job was not a good place for my mind to be, so it had to eventually go someplace else.  That place was a world of my own creation.  It was safer there than in the office.  While it was gone, I did somehow kill my boss’s cactus.  She never asked me to watch another plant for her.

I was probably not there no more than three weeks when I first picked up the pen.  It’s interesting that when your boss walks by, and you are scribbling on a notepad, I believe you actually look busier than when you’re playing solitaire or minesweeper.  I also believe your boss knows exactly what you’re doing on that computer.  Those of you with your minds in the gutter, please install the helmet. 

What I started to write was definitely not Shakespeare.  In fact I believe most writers would have swatted my nose with a rolled up newspaper, for some of the things I dropped out of my pen.  I’m sure there are still plenty who would do the same for what I am currently writing.  That didn’t matter though.  Those were my worlds, my creations.  No one had to visit if they didn’t want too, but sometimes they did.  All I asked was for them wipe their feet first.

Seven years I read books and scribbled on my notepads.  Then something entirely expected happened.  I was fired. (lie) Truthfully the whole company was downsized.  Still this was a problem.  After one attempt and many short stories, my second attempt at writing a book wasn’t quite done.  I still had ten chapters to handwrite, and that was just the first draft.

-not the end…….  (This is not a lie.)

My name is Michael L. Turner.  I am the Author of the “Kings and Dragons” series.

This winter I invite you to enter my world.  (Please wipe your feet)

Visit me on Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/Turnerbookpage

Or my blog:  http://michaellturner.blogspot.com/

Also Check Out:  http://www.hydrapublications.com/michael-l-turner/