Tell me about Blood for Treasure?
The elevator pitch is…it’s a modern adventure about a clandestine expedition tasked with capturing the world’s first and only trillion-dollar treasure. Can you tell I’ve had to say that once or twice?

The cab ride pitch is… it’s a book for anyone who loves epic action/adventures filled with high-octane escapism. If you like your hero wielding a sabertooth-tiger-bone-handled machete, smoking-hot videographers with a death wish, firewalking, bare-knuckle brawls in Singapore bars, jungles that make Predator look like Kansas, 10-foot man-eating tigers, modern samurai sporting hand-forged sniper rifles, blood-thirsty Komodo dragons, nefarious private mercenaries, Marines rocking and rolling with bleeding-edge machine guns and portable lightning packs, armed-to-the-teeth hovercrafts nicknamed “Jaws”, underwater chases through piranha-filled rivers, gold bars as far as the eye can see, and a lava-spewing volcano…then this book is for you.

On a professional level…it’s book one in a trilogy of modern adventures.

On a personal level, it’s a straight-up labor of love for the genre.

Samurai with sniper rifles sounds sweet, but tell me there is still some old fashioned swordplay somewhere in the book. Hari Kari maybe?
Let’s just say that one of the climactic duels is settled with blades. And there are definitely other blades woven throughout the story, for sure. You have to have them on some level when you’re dealing with samurai. But ultimately, because of the saturation of the samurai katana in modern pop culture, I did want to try and explore what other weapons a modern samurai would be all about. Simply put, the samurai were a one-strike/one-kill type of warrior. And with the sniper rifle being a one-shot/one-kill weapon, I tried to capitalize on that as an extension of their warrior mentality.

I know your previous novels where action/adventure as well, what is that draws you to that genre?
I’ve been hooked on the genre from the moment my parents took me to the theater to see Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. I was too young to catch Raiders in the theater…so I had no idea what I was in for. By the time I walked out, my mind was blown. To me…of the original trilogy…it was by far the best, visually speaking. Raiders is a hands-down masterpiece of the genre, but after Raiders I’d rank Temple as second in terms of pure escapism and action/adventure sequences. And as a kid…being a part of that…in the theater…all I can say is that it was a visceral experience. More to the point, as a young storyteller, it was a religious experience. The seed was definitely planted by the time I went to bed that night.

As I grew older, and dove deeper and deeper into storytelling, I realized that the action/adventure genre is a very fundamental genre with regards to mythology…so that began to draw me even closer to the genre. I think one of the reasons that’s true is because the action/adventure genre dovetails perfectly (creatively speaking) with mythology’s fundamental “hero’s journey” story template…which Joseph Campbell talks a lot about. There’s a very real primal connection between the two…which lends the genre an ageless, for-all-time feel to it. And I love that.

So how much work and time went into writing this novel?
As with any labor of love, a lot of both. I started fleshing out the world of an original action/adventure story about 4 years ago. I spent the first year gathering the basic elements. I knew I wanted it to be centered around a modern explorer – because oddly enough, no other major action/adventure franchise had tapped that type of lead character yet. You had archeologists (Indy), ex-soldiers (The Mummy series), researchers (Sahara), gun-toting bird-trappers (Romancing the Stone), and tomb raiders (Lara Croft series). But no legitimate explorers that lived and breathed the essence of modern exploration. And ironically, those are exactly the type of people the original B-series films were based on. Guys like Hiram Bingham III, etc. Plus, the themes associated with exploration are rife with the elements of adventure. So once that central piece was locked into place, I began heavily researching the themes of modern exploration, as well as modern explorers themselves.

Beyond the main character, I knew I also wanted the entire fabric of the story to be evolved. Truth be told…it had to be evolved. It’s a genre that’s been mined pretty heavily. So to at least attempt to be fresh…I knew it had to be evolved on some core levels. The challenge is to do that while still maintaining the flavor and essence of the genre. So…for me…that meant a hybrid where the stoic explorer on the hunt is accompanied by a collection of worthy characters. And being a huge fan of stories like Predator and Aliens…that meant Marines. Specifically…a hypothetical, clandestine Marine Force Recon unit. And they couldn’t just roll in on a truck. Thus…”Jaws” was born.

I knew I also wanted a great love interest, but again…she had to be evolved. Meaning…at least for me…she had to have a streak of danger equal or greater than our hero – as well as a personality to match. And the attraction between them had to be grounded in some type of realism. In this case…their shared drive to explore the world, as well as their mutual tendencies to push themselves out of their comfort zone. In short…they needed a bond that would not only sustain, but would also thrive, in life-threatening situations. So I started researching women with extremely dangerous careers.

I also wanted a collection of great bad guys. Some you’d like, some you’d hate, some you wouldn’t see coming. To me…the more gray area a bad guy has, the more interesting they are. It’s true for all characters, but it seems to really resonate with bad guys. And the modern, adventurous professions that seem to have the most potential for that gray area are private mercenaries and private treasure hunting firms. Both professions are defined by what motivations the people involved bring with them. Most are legitimate, with very up-front, on-the-surface intentions. But some are completely nefarious. And those are the ones I focused on.

And then, of course, I wanted a very clearly defined villain…someone who’s nothing but an enemy of the expedition. Like a lot of people, I’m drawn to the samurai culture. Partly because they kick so much ass. But also because my family has a bit of Asian history to it. My paternal grandfather was born and raised in Shanghai until he was 16. And when he moved back here, that culture most certainly came back with him…through behavior, food, furniture, etc. So growing up, I was surrounded by it. Obviously, samurai are Japanese not Chinese, but samurai are of the same ilk, if you will. And because of that, the samurai culture became an extension of my interests. So when it came to this story…I wanted to tap into something that I could really dig into and be passionate about, and samurai seemed like a very natural selection for me.

By the end of the first year of work, I had done the research I felt necessary, and locked in all of the major elements – characters, settings, buildings, weapons, vehicles, etc. Ultimately, I had everything…except the plot and MacGuffin. Small details.

I refused to go with a MacGuffin that had even been hinted at within another well-known action/adventure story. So…finding an original MacGuffin took another year. And when it finally came, it was 2 AM, and I was crawling through articles in the New York Times online archive. And I found an article from 1987 about the legend of the Tiger’s Treasure…what it was, how it was believed to be real, how the legend was that the U.S. had actually failed to find it on multiple attempts, etc. And that was it. As soon as I found that article…everything fell into place, and I was off and running.

I spent the next 3 months outlining the story, piecing the plot together, fleshing out more character details, etc. Then I wrote the first draft over about 6 months. I took a 3 month breather to get feedback from my manager, family, friends, etc. Then went in and did a hard second draft over about 3 months. All told, the writing took about a year. From there, I took another 6 months to make final preparations for rollout (typos, formatting, inserts of additional scenes, etc.) And now here we are.

Why do a Kindle version?
Great question. Three reasons. First, publishing digitally is the quickest way for a novelist to connect to his/her readers. Why wait a year to deliver it in print when you can wait a day to deliver it on a device? Second, the medium of the digital novel encourages quick fixes to problems (typos, color corrections on the cover, etc.) that used to be set in stone once the book went to print. Why allow something to be forever when you can fix it overnight? And third, being a programmer and web developer myself…I live, breathe, communicate, socialize, and consume entertainment digitally. Why stop when it comes to putting out my own work? Not to mention the process saves trees, and there’s good karma in that.

So how do we get this book, and what if we don’t have a Kindle?
It’s available via Amazon.com for the Kindle. If you own a Kindle, then you know the drill. If you don’t have a Kindle, simply download the free Kindle app onto your iPhone, Blackberry, PC, etc…then search for the book title inside of it…and voila. And please be sure to post a star-rated review on Amazon when you’re done. Good, bad, or ugly…those reviews are a critical part of the process for everyone involved.

What was the hardest part of getting the book out?
Coming to accept that no matter how hard you try, you simply will not find every typo.

What’s next on the novel front?
My next book is going to be a detective techno-thriller, set 100 years in the future, against the backdrop of professional baseball. So…think Philip K. Dick (Bladerunner) meets Michael Crichton (Jurassic Park).

And then of course…there’s the sequel of Blood for Treasure…which I’m already being asked about. The quick answer is yes, I’ve got it completely mapped out…characters, settings, MacGuffin, plot, everything…but…I won’t divulge anything other than it’s got me equally as excited to write it as the first one did – which I honestly didn’t think would be possible.

Well, thanks for answering my questions, it was a lot of fun and I will be sure to download a copy and give it a read.
Thanks so much for the opportunity to discuss the book! I hope everyone who downloads a copy really enjoys it…and feel free to reach out to me via the web site: www.bloodfortreasure.com

Email to a Friend or Add a Social Bookmark

He spends the first half of the book, very carefully developing the character through their daily life, very detailed and even mundane at times. But what he is doing is establishing the reality of the world the character lives in. Then halfway through the book, he tilts that reality askew with something fantastical, supernatural or transcendently spiritual. It is like a rollercoaster and the first half of the book the car is slowly ascending the first hill. Click, click, click. But if you are patient enough to stick with it to the peak, you can now ride the rollercoaster down with great speed through exciting twists and turns. The ride down makes the long climb up worthwhile. I think this is deliberate.

Of course, I will now have to finish the book to see if my theory proves true. I hope so, because to this point I have been underwhelmed compared to his other books, and yet this is supposed to be his magnum opus that pulls together all his previous writings. So, if it doesn’t deliver I will not know what to think of my abilities to comprehend his vision, a vision that I once thought I fully understood and deeply appreciated. I guess I could always take the graduate level philosophy course at the American University of London that is based on this book, yeah right.

Here are some quotes from Hermann Hesse (July 2, 1877 – August 9, 1962) whose books explored an individual’s search for authenticity, self-knowledge and spirituality.

Eternity is a mere moment, just long enough for a joke.

If you hate a person, you hate something in him that is part of yourself. What isn’t part of ourselves doesn’t disturb us.

Knowledge can be communicated, but wisdom cannot. A man can find it, he can live it, he can be filled and sustained by it, but he cannot utter or teach it.

People with courage and character always seem sinister to the rest.

When dealing with the insane, the best method is to pretend to be sane.

Without words, without writing and without books there would be no history, there could be no concept of humanity.

Email to a Friend or Add a Social Bookmark

If you’re a dinosaur, all of your friends are dead. If you’re a pirate, all of your friends have scurvy. If you’re a tree, all of your friends are end tables. Each page of this laugh-out-loud illustrated humor book showcases the downside of being everything from a clown to a cassette tape to a zombie. Cute and dark all at once, this hilarious children’s book for adults teaches valuable lessons about life while exploring each cartoon character’s unique grievance and wide-eyed predicament. From the sock whose only friends have gone missing to the houseplant whose friends are being slowly killed by irresponsible plant owners (like you), All My Friends Are Dead presents a delightful primer for laughing at the inevitable.

Avery Monsen is an actor, artist, and writer.

Jory John is a writer, editor, and journalist.

They are friends, and neither is dead. Yet.

Email to a Friend or Add a Social Bookmark

- Eliot Fintushel: Izzy and the Father of Terror (1998)

Email to a Friend or Add a Social Bookmark

Fortunately the book industry is rapidly implementing practices that minimize negative social and environmental impacts. Over 250 publishers, representing about 50% of the book industry’s market share, have either developed strong environmental policies or are in the process.

Email to a Friend or Add a Social Bookmark

I have no idea what Biblical reasoning they give for this decision, but have little faith that it is a decision based on God’s will.

The ordination to the priesthood is a fuller participation in baptism’s sacrificial and prophetic gifts. Christ replaced the Old Testament priesthood based on the sacred by a priesthood based on grace; a universal priesthood shared by all the baptized. This priesthood is given through the sacrament of baptism, and baptism is the same whether for a man or a woman.

Rome alleges that the church has always prohibited women from the priesthood. The tradition of not ordaining women was built, however, on theological and cultural beliefs that have been discredited. Whether through ignorance, lies, misogyny or lack of scientific knowledge, the church thought of women as inferior, unclean and sinful creatures lesser in every way than men.

The priest is not signifying Christ’s maleness, but rather his role as mediator. Women can, just as truly, signify Christ because they are equal in Christ.

As long as I am on the subject of the church, how about discussing the abundance of biblical ignorance around the topic of homosexuality. Because even though I am not gay, it has become perhaps the most obvious example of the church’s failures to be tolerant and understanding.

Often people who love and trust God’s Word have never given careful and prayerful attention to what the Bible does or doesn’t say about homosexuality.

For example, many Christians don’t know that:
• Jesus says nothing about same-sex behavior.
• The Jewish prophets are silent about homosexuality.
• Only six or seven of the Bible’s one million verses refer to same-sex behavior in any way — and none of these verses refer to homosexual orientation as it’s understood today.

Most people who are certain they know what the Bible says about homosexuality don’t know where the verses that reference same-sex behavior can be found. They haven’t read them, let alone studied them carefully. They don’t know the original meaning of the words in Hebrew or Greek. And they haven’t tried to understand the historical context in which those words were written. Yet the assumption that the Bible condemns homosexuality is passed down from generation to generation with very little personal study or research. The consequences of this misinformation are disastrous, not only for God’s gay and lesbian children, but for the entire church. The apostle Paul says, “Test all things and hold fast to that which is good.”

The Bible is the story of God’s love for the world and the people of the world. It tells the history of God’s love at work rescuing, renewing, and empowering humankind. It was never intended to be a book about human sexuality. Certainly, you will agree. In fact, the Bible accepts sexual practices that we condemn and condemns sexual practices that we accept. Lots of them!

Here are a few examples.
DEUTERONOMY 22:13-21
If it is discovered that a bride is not a virgin, the Bible demands that she be executed by stoning immediately.
DEUTERONOMY 22:22
If a married person has sex with someone else’s husband or wife, the Bible commands that both adulterers be stoned to death.
MARK 10:1-12
Divorce is strictly forbidden in both Testaments, as is remarriage of anyone who has been divorced.
LEVITICUS 18:19
The Bible forbids a married couple from having sexual intercourse during a woman’s period. If they disobey, both shall be executed.
MARK 12:18-27
If a man dies childless, his widow is ordered by biblical law to have intercourse with each of his brothers in turn until she bears her deceased husband a male heir.
DEUTERONOMY 25:11-12
If a man gets into a fight with another man and his wife seeks to rescue her husband by grabbing the enemy’s genitals, her hand shall be cut off and no pity shall be shown her.

I’m certain you don’t agree with these teachings from the Bible about sex. And you shouldn’t. The list goes on: The Bible says clearly that sex with a prostitute is acceptable for the husband but not for the wife. Polygamy (more than one wife) is acceptable, as is a king’s having many concubines. (Solomon, the wisest king of all, had 1,000 concubines.) Slavery and sex with slaves, marriage of girls aged 11–13, and treatment of women as property are all accepted practices in the Scriptures. On the other hand, there are strict prohibitions against interracial marriage, birth control, discussing or even naming a sexual organ, and seeing one’s parents nude.

Over the centuries the Holy Spirit has taught us that certain Bible verses should not be understood as God’s law for all time periods. Some verses are specific to the culture and time they were written, and are no longer viewed as appropriate, wise, or just.

Often, the Holy Spirit uses science to teach us why those ancient words no longer apply to our modern times. During the last three decades, for example, organizations representing 1.5 million U.S. health professionals (doctors, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, and educators) have stated definitively that homosexual orientation is as natural as heterosexual orientation, that sexual orientation is determined by a combination of yet unknown pre- and post-natal influences, and that it is dangerous and inappropriate to tell a homosexual that he or she could or should attempt to change his or her sexual orientation.

The evidence from science and from the personal experience of gay and lesbian Christians demands that we at least consider whether the passages cited to condemn homosexual behavior should be reconsidered, just as other Bible verses that speak of certain sexual practices are no longer understood as God’s law for us in this day.

Learn what the Bible says and doesn’t say about homosexuality from this book, where I copied the passages you have just read:
www.soulforce.org/pdf/whatthebiblesays.pdf

Learn the scriptural arguments for allowing women to become priests: www.womensordination.org/ or here:www.womenpriests.org

Email to a Friend or Add a Social Bookmark

Email to a Friend or Add a Social Bookmark

Shutter Island is Martin Scorsese’s psychological thriller starring Leonardo DiCaprio as a US Marshal investigating an escape from a mental facility for the criminally insane. It was pretty fascinating – during the first third of the movie I kept feeling as if Scorsese was forcing things and it was coming off fake and heavy handed, but once the plot hit its groove I began to understand his attempts to imitate a more retro thriller style fitting to the 1950s era in which the story is taking place. So I was eventually able to quit questioning the abrupt transitions into emotional hallucinations and other equally odd stylistic choices and I could just enjoy the story instead.

DiCaprio and the rest of the very talented ensemble cast is excellent, and the story has a nice twist ending that you may or may not see coming. In my case I began expecting one twist early on, and when I was convinced I was right it twisted another direction all together – which is great, because I enjoy being wrong about my suspicions. (doesn’t happen very often) I also really loved the thought provoking final line DiCaprio’s character utters in the film just moments after the main twist ending resolves. “It’s better to die a good man then to live as a monster” illuminates another bold twist and offers perhaps the truest insight into the character.

My only regret for this film is how underused Mark Ruffalo was, as I stated in an earlier post, he is a great actor and I would have enjoyed seeing him used more dramatically in the film. Also, underused was Elias Koteas who played a very central character but received very little screen time.

As always, the sign of a good film like this is the feeling I have leaving the theater. I felt a bit spooked and even after arriving back at my hotel the hallways and elevator seemed ominous and surreal to me. So kudos to Scorsese for disturbing me that much! I might just have to read the book, which was written by the Dennis Lehane, who also wrote the novels behind Mystic River and Gone, Baby, Gone – both excellent films!

Email to a Friend or Add a Social Bookmark

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Ella. One day she went out and picked a pretty flower. She did not know that a monster was hiding behind the tree, watching her.

Ella went home and her mommy helped her put the pretty flower in a vase.

But that night the monster reached in through her bedroom window and took the flower.

Ella went and asked the Flower Monster why he took her pretty flower.

The Flower Monster said the flower looked lonely by itself, and he wanted to give Ella a bunch of pretty flowers.

The end. (Story and illustrations by Ella – with some help from daddy)

Email to a Friend or Add a Social Bookmark

Email to a Friend or Add a Social Bookmark