Author/Editor Interview: Mort Castle

I should probably mention that I have a couple personal connections to Mort Castle. For one thing, his 2002 WHC workshop in Chicago served as one of the purest experiences in honing my craft and introduced me to many folks who would be come my peers and dearest friends in the business. As another, Mort recently accepted a story of mine for Doorways Magazine whose fiction he edits, thus proving the age old adage that the student shall one day ... well, remain a student. That's why I'm here with some questions

[Continued on FearZone. Make with the clicky-clicky]



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A Spiritual Perspective on Pop Culture?

“Whenever we meet heathen writers, let us learn from the light of truth which is admirably displayed in their works, that the human mind, fallen as it is, and corrupted from its integrity, is yet invested and adorned by God with excellent talents. If we believe that the Spirit of God is the only fountain of truth itself, we shall not reject or despise the truth itself, wherever it shall appear, unless we wish to insult the Spirit of God.” –John Calvin

Is pop culture a worthwhile read? I get this question fairly often, the thinking behind it being that we (I’m dragging my fellow reviewers at Hollywood Jesus into this) are glorifying movies that shouldn’t be glorified or have no redeeming spiritual value.

I don’t consider myself a Christian reviewer. One, because when the word “Christian” is used as an adjective, usually it’s the first red flag that we’re already off mission (yes, this goes back to my rantings about our Christian ghetto mentality). Two, because when I think of a “Christian Movie Review”, a certain kind of review comes to mind. We get the synopsis of the movie, followed by its rating, then descriptions of its violent content, sexual content (Boobies!), foul language, with a concluding judgment about its worthiness for family viewing. Counting cuss words and shots of exposed body parts (Boobies!) is no way to enjoy a movie nor do I think it should be our focus. So how do I approach writing “Christian” reviews?

I stand by the conceit that God is active in every culture. If that is true, we ought to be able to find redemptive elements almost everywhere in that culture. Slip into the mindset of thinking of yourself as a missionary to your culture. One of the first things a missionary ought to do is learn the stories of the culture. Granted, I consume a lot of pop culture (movies, television, comic books, books—but not music. Music has been dead to me since 1992. Nothing personal, it’s just that 1992 was the year music became noise and I realized I was on my countdown to yelling at kids to get off my lawn). But if we’re going to speak into a culture subversively, it has to be done contextually. We have to learn the language of the culture.

This sounds like a complete rationalization justifying how much time I spend in front of my television and it’s at this point that two Bible passages get thrown at me. Always in the spirit of Christian love and edification:

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” Ephesians 5:11

I understand the fear that comes with the freedom we have in Christ and the importance of “guarding ourselves” when it comes to being “of the world.” When I come at this verse, the words “but rather expose them” jump out at me. Exposing is the work of an artist. True artists pursue truth, truth about themselves, truth about life, truth about things after this life. I think it is important to engage the artist and what they are trying to do.

Again, this goes back to one of the cornerstones of being a missionary: respect the natives, respect the culture, respect the natives’ stories and seek to understand them, and look for redemptive analogies .

“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” –Philippians 4:8

That verse bolsters sermon after sermon of justifying a retreat from anything that may taint us. There is even value in withdrawing from such things, for a time, until they got their spiritual feet under them and are better able to discern what’s good for them. How do we learn to discern them to “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” (I Thessalonians 5:21-22)? If I’m counting shots (Boobies!), that’s what becomes my focus. How is that spiritual?

I say this with all due caution and humility, as we mature, we, like the apostle Paul, can expose ourselves to culture, draw the good out from it, interact with it in such a way as to use it for redemptive purposes. Yes, we are called to be priests, to be set apart; but set apart, not for our own comfort and edification, but for a purpose: to join in Christ’s redemptive mission.

I am often saddened by the typical Evangelical reaction to films likening it to that of loud hypocrites. I think this becomes a self fulfilling prophecy of sorts: how often has a director seemed open to exploring spiritual themes until s/he crosses the Christian Moral Police and suddenly gets a bad taste in his/her mouth about religion?

Nor do I look at people and think “they may taint me with their worldly ways. Look at how violent he is or how much she cusses” and then retreat from them. Though too often, we as a church do that, too.

Stories resonate with us for a reason and there are redemptive elements in each of our stories. In all things, think redemptively, and let the renewing your mind be in finding God at work in the culture around us. I am reminded of how the Apostle Paul could walk around Athens, a city full of idols, and still find Jesus (Acts 17). Engage the artist, engage the audience of that artist, and let your words and deeds be salted with grace. Look for common ground, that’s how you start conversations. And with conversations, all things are possible.

“If we are to love our neighbors, before doing anything else, we must see our neighbors. With our imagination as well as our eyes, that is to say, like artists.” –Frederich Buechner


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Double Act – A Review

"Ghosts of a False Self"

Double Act is a well-written novella from British writing team, LH Maynard & MPN Sims (Shelter, Demon Eyes). As Cocker and Hass, Walter Coker and Charlie Hass were a successful comedy double act in the 1950s London theatre scene in the twilight of their career. Unfortunately, the straight man and primary writer, Charlie, dies of a heart attack, leaving behind his funnier partner to pick up the pieces of his career as well as investigate the strange happenings and mystery in the wake of the death.

A writing duo writing about a comedy duo works almost at a meta level as they explore the secrets of a fairly successful professional and personal relationship.

“But life can’t be lived on what ifs and if onlys. You make choices and stand or fall by the choices you make. Sometimes the choices are the right ones, sometimes not.” –Carol Butler

The sins of their past comes back on them, from love affairs to pride and jealousy, in the form of a mysterious figure/force. A long time and well known philanderer, Charlie Hass comes to be seen in a new light, a more honest light though it only demonstrates how often we know so little about the people in our lives.

The least mysterious part of the journey of these characters is how easy it is to fall into a spiral of sin. They both begin with a lie that they tell themselves, about each other as well as themselves (because we are all the put upon heroes in our own story). From there, they harden their hearts by degrees to what they know is right. Then they find themselves having to hide the secrets that won’t stay hidden very long because truth has a way of being found out.

“If that’s what you’ve been telling yourself over the years to absolve yourself from blame, then you’ve been living a lie.” –Carol Butler

We know that the best relationships are built on openness and honesty, but we find ourselves creating a “false self”, a mask we wear that becomes part of us, in order to interact with others and the world. This constructed self, is defined by what we do, by what we have, and by what people think about us – and most times is a lie. We believe this lie and try to fix it ourselves, essentially creating a self-salvation scheme as we continue going about trying to re-create ourselves to the world around us. As Carol, one of Charlie’s mistresses puts it, “Once you start holding things back, they build up into an unbreakable wall that’s impossible to break down.”

Charlie’s false self takes form, haunting those he left behind from beyond the grave. This “monster you created”, left unchecked, destroys any good left in him and in his life, and leads to acts of ultimate selfishness.

At its heart, Double Act is an old-fashioned ghost tale, so low-key and without gore, the horrific aspect of the layered story goes almost unnoticed. The authors weave an emotionally intricate tale through the use of a strong, melancholy narrative voice. All about tone and mood, Double Act relies more on its disquieting atmosphere and disturbing, deeply human characters, moreso than any supernatural aspects. Its flaw lies more in its abrupt, bitter, and ultimately less than satisfying ending. Until then, it delivers the around the campfire creepiness and a study of compelling intensity, cloaked in the familiar garb of a good ghost story.


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Fathering Fathers

I’ve always had my father in my life. Say what you will, since everyone has their faults, he has been a constant presence and 80% of parenting is simply being there. So it’s difficult to imagine how I’d feel if he’d walked out on our family or not been in the picture in the first place. I can’t imagine the profoundness of my sadness or how that might evolve into anger or how that anger might transform into outright rage or hate.

Too many of us don’t know how to be fathers because we’ve never had a real father or have never seen the importance of a real father due to the absence of one in our lives. I love my two boys and I plan on raising them to be the type of men they ought to be, and one of the conversations I have started to have with them (even though they are only in kindergarten and first grade) is that I’m not raising another generation. There will be no misunderstandings on this point: if they consider themselves grown enough to have sex, they will be grown enough for the responsibilities that come along with it.

They will be raising that child. I’m not the automatic babysitter and I’m definitely not going to be giving up my weekends so that they can continue to rip and run as if they don’t have a care in the world. I have done my time. And guess what? They aren’t going to dump all of the work of taking care of the child on the women they got pregnant. They will be a part of that child’s life if I have any say in the matter.

I have been blessed to not only have my biological father in my life, but also other men who have been models of what true fathers should be. I think I had underestimated how much he has shaped and formed my life. I also realized the great debt that I owe them for the man that I’ve become and how much I love him. We should all be so lucky to have such fathers.


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The Death of the New Gods – A Review

Written by: Jim Starlin
Art by: Jim Starling
Published by: DC Comics
Price: $3.50

“Rival Gods”

Let me start out by naming my bias: I have never been a Fourth World fan. The world of Jack Kirby that brought us the New Gods, the Forever People, I just never got into it. I found his artwork clunky and garish – I simply never got him. However, what was plain to recognize was the epic level on which he operated. His were cosmic tales, carefully constructing a pantheon of newly minted gods set against powerful storytelling. From John Byrne to Walt Simonson, different writers have come along to put their stamp on the huge mythology and mythology is the right word in every sense. Echoes of this story could be felt in his Marvel creation, The Eternals.

The story of the New Gods sounds deceptively simple: a planet called Urgrund was split apart millennia ago after the death of the old gods during their Ragnarok. The planet separated into two planets forever connected. New Genesis, a technological garden of Eden, ruled by the benevolent and wise Highfather and Apokalips, its dark twin of fire pits and foul machinery ruled by Darkseid. The dwellers of New Genesis live in close proximity to the Source, the primeval energy of the universe, guarded by The Wall, the Final Barrier between man and the Creator.

Jim Starlin has toiled in this wheelhouse before, most notable in the mini-series, Cosmic Odyssey. The Death of the New Gods picks up some of the plot threads left dangling from Countdown in which Lightray was killed off and Jimmy Olsen began investigating his death. He ends up witnessing the death of another Fourth World creation, Sleeze. Someone is killing off the New Gods.

It would be easy to see their story as part of the behind the scenes cosmic battle between the angels of New Genesis and the demons of Apokalips. However, I am more intrigued by the idea of Armageddon, the death of the New Gods.

“Though we don’t worship it … the Source is the cosmic force that holds our universe in order. It is omnipotent power with a nearly indecipherable intent.” –Darkseid

As I read through the Old Testament, one of the ideas that get lost in our modern and postmodern readings of it is that the people of the time seem to believe there are other gods. As the monotheism of Judaism and Christianity were taking hold, they did so within the paradigm of nations who worshiped pantheons of gods. Biblical faith—the narratives in the Old Testament—overlap and parallel the contemporary pagan religions. We have to do something with verses like “all gods bow down before him” (Ps 97:7).

In his book, God's Rivals: Why Has God Allowed Different Religions? Insights from the Bible and the Early Church, Gerald R. McDermott poses some challenging ideas. Maybe there are some real other gods, subordinate to God, much like angels and demons worshiped with misplaced faith. Maybe religions are communities of conversations each with some claim to truth that points to a greater truth.

“It is said the value of any quest is in the journey itself … seeking enlightenment is like playing recklessly with a double-edged sword. The truth can be a marvelous boon or a devastating realization.” –Darkseid

Religions, pagan or otherwise, are an attempt to get at some truth, be it of a greater reality, a better way to live, or ultimately God. If God is sovereign and can use all truths to point to Him, the various religions of the world must be within His Providence.

“The Source strives for the creation of a better universe … perhaps that all endings are but the beginning of something new.” –Himon

If we believe that all Truth is God's Truth, then any pursuit of Truth should lead to Him. God wants Gentiles to know Him and His people can learn from pagans and we shouldn't be so quick to dismiss other religions as "wrong". "Wrong" is the point. Coming into a relationship with Him is.

I can think of no more eloquent way to say this other than Jim Starlin is writing and drawing his butt off with this mini-series. The Death of the New Gods easily represents some of his best work in years. He understands the symbolic status of the New Gods, their depth, their pathos. Better than most comic book writers, whose stories you can feel being stretched to accommodate their eventual consolidation into trade paperbacks, Starlin writes for the individual issues, his ending panels propelling you into the next issue. The art is dense and detailed, an homage to George Perez in scope. I can’t wait to see what the end of the Fourth World gives rise to.


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Hebrewpunk – A Review

"A vampire, a Wandering Jew, and a Rabbi walk into a story …"

It’s no joke, it’s the premise of the linked short story collection, HebrewPunk, by Lavie Tidhar. I am late to the Tidhar party, writer of weird fiction in such places as SciFiction.com, Apex Science Fiction and Horror Digest, PostScripts and Aeon. With this second collection, he combs through Hebrew mythology to come up with a sort of League of Extra-ordinary Mythic Figures. These action-driven horror tales mine new, scratch that ... mine ancient legends and mythic traditions unfamiliar to the majority of us.

Mixing pulp tropes and rich historical settings, not all the stories work equally well but did get progressively better. “The Heist”, a forgettable caper tale, was the weakest of the lot for me. “Transylvania Mission”, set in World War II Transylvania, pitted a vampire against S.S. werewolves. “Uganda” mixes alt-history with the unknown story of a proposal to settle Jews in East Africa in 1905 (and was a favorite). “The Dope Fiend”, set in the drug underworld of 1920s London, was a tour-de-force.

“The Old World was dying; its dark forces powerless in the face of what later philosophers would call the banality of evil. Humanity could provide more evil, more pain and suffering and humiliation, than any legend up in the Carpathians.” (51)

So often, the rules—both within genre literature and without—are defined by the dominant culture. After awhile, the tropes become stale thus it is great when they are interpreted through a different cultural lens. Crosses and holy water should have no affect on a Jewish vampire. Not all mages are going to speak Latin. Elves and dwarves are fine denizens, but not everyone lives in Middle Urth and other cultures have other tales to tell.

Like all great fantasy, HebrewPunk brings along and explores both a sense of history and identity. Its menagerie of characters—from the shape-shifting Rat to the Golem to the Tzaddik—live outside the realm of conventional norms and lead lives of rarely told stories. Yet, their stories are ultimately universal in what they convey and wrestle with.

“Devil, the dead kings were shouting, and Hell. It was as if they had finally encountered a kind of evil they couldn’t understand, a precise and tidy kind, one that didn’t gloat over its mutilated victims but rather sat down to note the fact in volume after volume of leather-bound ledgers.” (48)

Evil is universal and transcends both race and culture. Evil is failing to live up to what we were created to be, eikons/image bearers of God. To not live up to that or, more on point, to turn your back to that is evil. In short, evil is that which dehumanizes us and in so doing, allows us to dehumanize others. Evil has a variety of faces, both human and not. Everyone has to grapple with the Dracul, the Devil, in their respective worlds, be it a Mengele, spiritual heir to Tepes/the Impaler/Dracula, or other creatures that go bump in the night.

Steeped in Jewish culture and tradition and combined with pulp adventure, HebrewPunk makes for a thrilling ride. Its heroes, like the Rabbi “a man of arcane knowledge and appetites who evokes unsavoury stories from those who know him” like a Jewish John Constantine, are every bit as memorable as the Doc Savages of the pulp era. It certainly stands to breathe new life into the more tired conventions of the fantasy-horror genre and will hopefully inspire others to explore their own cultural history, culture, and stories and share them with us.


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Hey You Girl

I was walking through the neighborhood the other day and I overheard a boy call out to a girl, each all of 6, “hey you, girl.” The girl in question stopped what she was doing and quickly attended to the boys’s query du jour. Oddly enough, it occurred to me that the level of dialogue between the sexes doesn’t improve much with age. Normally I’d ask “Men, how are we talking to women?” though this time my question is “Women, why do you answer?”

We’ve allowed some parts of our culture to drag us all down, especially in a celebration of the deprecation of women. It’s easy to blame hip hop, it’s everyone’s favorite boogie man. It’s a loud, brash, often obnoxious target, and if only all of society’s ills could be vanquished if the worst parts of it were to cease. However, too often, however, it’s every bit the mirror we don’t want to stare into. Maybe it’s time to move beyond hip hop to the elements of our culture that inspire and fuel it.

We’ve become numb to much of the racism, homophobia, and sexism in our language and call it entertainment. Our entertainment may degrade, demean, and debase, but as long as it’s to a good beat, we don’t say much.

We are sold images. Now we’re sold and packaged as images for mass consumption fueled by (low) expectations of us. Our men little more than drug-dealing thugs and our women treated as if they all dance on a pole or are all out to get into men’s wallets.

My point is that women are at least complicit in the objectification. Ladies, all I’m asking is that you consider a few questions: How much should you tolerate? What do you support? What does accepting poor behavior and conversation say about you (or how you see yourselves)?

Maybe it speaks to a lack of respect for ourselves. All of us, damaging ourselves starting with the way we speak to one another. Women, it’s hard to say “respect me for my mind” when you have your minds out on display and flopping all over the place accessed by anyone who shows even the slightest attention. Demand respect, get respect, attract what you put out. Respect starts early and needs to be taught, reinforced, and most importantly, needs to be modeled.


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Hulk – A Review

Written by : Jeph Loeb
Art by: Ed McGuinness
Published by: Marvel Comics

“IncREDible Anger”

Coming off of the World War Hulk comic event, the Hulk is popular enough for Marvel to attempt to have him sustain a couple titles, not including She-Hulk and other “Hulk Family” books. Say what you will about World War Hulk, it gave fans what they wanted, plenty of “Hulk Smash!” action (with enough semblance of a plot to string together issue after issue of said mindless smashing). Jeph Loeb (Supergirl) and Ed McGuinness bring us the Hulk, or more specifically, begin the mystery of who is the red Hulk?

The Hulk persona has undergone many transformations over the years, especially during Peter David’s epic run. It was like a split personality, originally appearing as gray during the first issues of the original title’s run (a personality revisited often by Peter David) and with varying degrees of intelligence. The promotional ads of a red Hulk has fans busy trying to figure out what the latest implication means. And this issue is more set up of the story than any sort of explanation.

We have Doc Samson (the Hulk’s gamma-powered, one time psychiatrist), She-Hulk, and General Ross investigating the latest outburst of violence, presumably from the Hulk, like some sort of gamma-specialized C.S.I. team. All evidence of the rampage points to the Hulk, with the disturbing revelations that 1) the Hulk is red and 2) it’s not Bruce Banner.

The Hulk persona is no more than a "rage-aholic," someone addicted to anger and rage. Be it some biochemical switch or the inner undisciplined tantrum-ing two year old of frustrated want, he simply wishes to rage. A lot. Everyone gets angry, many of us even let anger often get the better of us and do things we later regret. What separates us is how we choose to deal with those impulses of unchecked aggression. Some of us struggle with rage, either bottling it up, acting it out, or repressing it. That unpredictable behavior, that inability to express ourselves short of “Me Smash!”, be it verbally or physically, shatters relationships like so many buildings on a Hulk rampage.

We continue to burn with hatred and murder in our hearts and suddenly a just and wrathful God who would smite loathsome man with pain, suffering, humiliation and eventually death and eternal punishment makes sense to us. As if that was the end of the story.

Like an addiction, we must find a way to contain our inner Hulk, as it were. Wrestle with the underlying demons that undergird it, find appropriate ways to express that anger, or abstain from angry behavioral outbursts. Ultimately, we need to put aside our rage and hatred, to lose that trust in ourselves and our way and find somewhere else to place it.

We must continue to examine ourselves, acknowledge our mistakes and sins and hopefully realize that we don’t want to be that raging monster, hurting those in our path. Maybe realize that the path we are on wreaks destruction wherever we go. Maybe realize that we’re not smart enough, courageous enough, self sufficient enough or good enough to make up the rules as we go along. And as the journey of Bruce Banner/the Hulk demonstrates, this is easier said than done.

The issue looks great, something you’d expect from Ed McGuinness. There’s the obligatory gratuitous battle with the Russian version of the Avengers, the Winter Guard where he gets to shine. Loeb does his job by leaving all sorts of questions dangling without answers: is this Rick Jones? What happened between World War Hulk and now? However, this is by-the-numbers story-telling. We’ve seen this story done a bunch of times and just because the Hulk is red doesn’t mean much besides having a new action figure to market. Hopefully Loeb is setting us up for a major payoff, if not, well … meh.



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Living the Dream - The Growing Place

“The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.” Martin Luther King, Jr., Strength to Love, 1963.

It’s easy to sit back and criticize what folks should be doing or how they are screwing up what they are doing. It’s easy to complain and be disappointed in folks. It’s another thing to become involved and participate in being a part of the solution. So we at The Dwelling Place Faith Community have encouraged our people to dream big, to try and find ways to be a missional blessing to the world. The strategy is simple: find what you are passionate about, what you are gifted at doing, and then find either what is not being done or not being done enough. For me it meant the on-going experiment known as Creative Space. My sister had other ideas.

“Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

In light of it being Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Ro Griffin (ne Broaddus) and Laura Garcia found it appropriate to launch The Growing Place. They simply wanted to continue to live out his legacy. Demonstrating more faith than I have, the two quit their day jobs to pursue this endeavor full time. They worked with several families in their careers in the public school system, but saw far to many people falling through the cracks and even more disconnected from the system, but couldn’t find a way within their vocations to do anything about it. Laura put it this way: “God has given me skills and gifts and I want to use them.”

Though they had a dream of one day launching such the kind of ministry they had in mind, the timing never quite worked out. Now, it was time, they said, and their jobs were the final tie they had to cut in order to jump into this. Ro said, “I’m finally listening to God and myself rather than listening to everyone else who said I can’t do it. They want me to be safe, but there are no guarantees in life.”

“All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and importance and should be undertaken with painstaking excellence.” Martin Luther King, Jr.

The Growing Place is a multi-faceted ministry that will roll out in several phases. The first phase involves teaching English, Spanish, and offering tutoring. They break up the days with scrap-booking lunches and Saturday nights offering “parents’ night off” babysitting. Then comes the pre-school, GED, and citizenship classes.

They are also working with The Dwelling Place and Outreach Inc, organizing a thrift store/pantry, by being a care package distribution point on the northwest side of the city. Pure and simple, there are a lot of poor families in our community and not enough laborers. These ladies continue to impress me.

“Man is man because he is free to operate within the framework of his destiny. He is free to deliberate, to make decisions, and to choose between alternatives. He is distinguished from animals by his freedom to do evil or to do good and to walk the high road of beauty or tread the low road of ugly degeneracy.” Martin Luther King, Jr., The Measures of Man, 1959.




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Supergirl – A Review

“Finding the Mission”

Written by: Jeph Loeb
Drawn by: Ian Churchill
Published by: DC Comics

One of the things you want in a “number one” issue is an easy jump on point for new readers (as well as something satisfying for long time readers in the case of a title re-starting itself). There have been several iterations of Supergirl, her continuity not helped by Crisis on Infinite Earths or Zero Hour or Infinite Crisis, or whatever crossover event that serves to disrupt/re-start the superhero universe. Supergirl #1 attempts to reconcile some of the confusion in her origins.

“It was all at once my life ended.” –Supergirl

Back in 1996, Peter David (Incredible Hulk, Stephen King’s Dark Tower), began an 80 issue run reimagining the mythology of Supergirl. Her alter ego, Linda Danvers merged with a shape-shifting being from an alternate universe which had been Supergirl and she became an earth-born angel (many speculated that she took on the name Lee and he continued telling her story as Fallen Angel).

With Supergirl currently being seen on this season’s Smallville, it was time to properly place her in the center of DC continuity, reintroducing her as Kara Zor-El cousin of Kal-El (Superman’s true, Kryptonian name as opposed to Clark Kent, his Earth name). Debuting in a story arc in Superman/Batman, also written by Jeph Loeb, Supergirl has tired of being confined to Paradise Island (homeland of Wonder Woman) and has ventured out into the world to learn more about herself. She begins her journey by trying to make a connection to Power Girl, currently known as … Superman’s cousin.

Yeah.

Power Girl's convoluted history also has shifted several times to allow for changes to established continuity. So, Power Girl’s powers fluctuate and wane in Supergirl’s presence which leads to that age old super hero tradition of a slugfest, in this case, between Supergirl and Power Girl. Unfortunately, it feels like a distraction from the thin feel of the story being told.

Supergirl faces the very human sense of isolation, desperately in need to connect with others, to find purpose in her new situation. She struggles to answer the first questions we all have to ask ourselves: “who am I?” and “why am I here?”. Our identity determines not only how we see ourselves and how others see us, but helps shape our choice in mission and how we live our lives

“You wear that ‘S’ – it comes with, I don’t know … obligations.” –Stargirl

In Supergirl’s case, her search for identity revolves around the obligations of wearing the “S” insignia. The example of her cousin looms large, not only in her world, but is a standard that all heroes measure themselves against. In finding a mission in the idea of Superman, she has a legacy to live up to and feels the need to earn the right to bear the “S”. While anyone can call themselves a hero, a hero is defined by their actions. It’s similar to how Christians choose to follow Christ. People can call themselves what they want, but it is what comes out of their mouths and lives that truly defines who and what they are.

As far as the art goes, Ian Churchill, he of the Rob Liefield school of art, loves to draw female superheroes. Or I should say, he knows what horny fanboys want (Supergirl’s costume was never practical, but come on. And at this point, Power Girl’s bosom simply defies the laws of physics). In some ways, his long, heavily muscled bodies are a metaphor for this launching point. Supergirl #1 is lean and action packed (gratuitously so), and every bit the empty vessel our heroine is. She is rife with potential conflict, her youth and inexperience balanced against the legacy she has to live up to. It takes a nuanced writer to take advantage of it. In light of her ties to Superman, Loeb fights an uphill battle to make her a distinct character. This first issue shows promise, one that will hopefully be soon realized.


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She-Hulk – A Review

Written by: Peter David
Art by: Shawn Moll
Published by: Marvel Comics
Price: $2.99

“Jaded”

Jennifer Walters was a lawyer until she got a gamma-irradiated blood transfusion from her cousin, Bruce Banner (the Hulk). That’s how she became She-Hulk. Charming name aside (though it’s better than Shulkie), female versions of super-heroes is a bit of a holdover from the mindset that every major male super-hero had to have a female counterpart (Spider-Man/Spider-Woman, Superman/Supergirl, Batman/Batgirl, Hulk, She-Hulk). However, there’s something about the character of She-Hulk that makes creators come and try to put their distinctive mark on her. To catch us up on the character:

Things have not been easy on She-Hulk lately … between dropping her support of the Fifty State Initiative, her cousin’s attack on Earth and losing (and subsequently regaining) her super-powers, Jen has found herself at a crossroads just in time for mysterious circumstances to lead her to leave her legal practice behind. Done with both her careers as a lawyer and as an Avenger, Jen must decide what a gamma-powered legal dynamo does with her life next …

Apparently it’s become a bounty hunter.

Dan Slott’s departure from the book left a huge vacuum to fill. Starting with issue 22 of She-Hulk, Peter David (X-Factor, Stephen King’s Dark Tower) can’t seem to escape the world of the Hulk. From his wonderful 12 year run on The Incredible Hulk, to writing Captain Marvel with Rick Jones (the Hulk’s best friend) now with She-Hulk, he keeps nibbling around the edges of the world he largely created. Partnering with Jazinda, a mysterious Skrull, like some ersatz version of Heroes for Hire duo, She-Hulk works for the Freeman Bonding, Inc, the agency that puts up bail for super villains. I guess there had to be one and if there is, they would have bounty hunters, and if one is super powered and between clear careers, why not bounty hunt.

“All anybody cares about is what’s important to them, and anyone tells you otherwise, they’re sellin’ something!” –The Absorbing Man

We’re fascinated by the monster within, from the Hulk to Mr. Hyde, as if speaking to our realization that we need to come to terms with it. Unlike her cousin, the She-Hulk is not the embodiment of her inner rage. It is, however, the embodiment of all of her repressed behavior. As She-Hulk, she is more confident (being seven feet tall and able to bench press a school bus ought to at least instill one with some self assurance), feels sexier (though she’s currently lamenting her sex kitten image), and feels more whole. In truth, hers is a much more balanced and integrated persona because she came to terms with who she is and what lies within her.

“Sounds like somebody’s got some issues.” –The Absorbing Man

The key to her contented life as the She-Hulk is balance her appropriate expressions and healthily containing her impulses. It’s a life long journey to channel our inner passions and control our inner monsters. As we temper our inner demons, we can hope to find that balance and peace many of us look for. Not doing so may lead to many wrecked relationships.

“Has it ever occurred to you there’s a whole world of things beyond what’s important to you?” –She-Hulk

In coming into her powers, echoing the words of the Apostle Paul she became a new woman and put aside her old woman: “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22-24). With all of her newfound liberation, the new struggle is what to do with all of the freedom she has.

It’s a transition period while David tweaks the character’s mythology and cast of supporting characters to allow She-Hulk to come into her own. Given his track record with the Hulk universe, I’m willing to allow plenty of patience. The Moll's art is serviceable, if a little sparse and rigid, like a pale imitation of Gary Frank. Without relaunching and renumbering the title (since both were just done, oh, 22 issues ago), this is a good jump on point for those fans wishing to give She-Hulk a try. It’s a bit of a rocky start, but David’s one of the very few writers in the funnybook business who can actually write with real wit (when he’s not going goofy overboard, as in Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man). After the frenzy of variant covers and a new creative team have worn off, hopefully he will have the time to tell his stories.


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Friday Night Date Place – Finding Your Comfort Place

Comfort can sometimes be defined as the ability to pass gas around our significant others. (Note: this isn’t so much a test for guys as we generally enjoy any excuse to do so. In fact, right now any guy reading this is ready to demonstrate to his significant other just how comfortable he is around them).

Backing up, not too long ago, we had a discussion on my message board about the importance of similar world views within relationships. A point that was brought up was how it’s one thing to have to go out and battle your worldview in “the world” but you don’t want to have those battles at home. This kind of brings to mind the idea of being able to breathe in a relationship.

We live in fear of being rejected for who we are or, more specifically, of finally revealing what we're really like only to have people leave us. As much as we want to be known by others, we all have walls put in place to keep people out and keep ourselves from being hurt. It’s nice to be able to lower them, to find someone we can lower them around. When we can reach a relaxed level of comfort around our significant others, we can feel free to be ourselves, to be real.

This is one of those mystery elements to relationships. There are so many ways to be connected to people, from family, to casual acquaintance, to co-workers, to friends. Some people you have simply known forever or who it feels like they've known you forever. This deep sense of connection comes because they've seen you in ways others can't or haven't. They get you, sometimes without words. They let you change. They let you be.

There is an ingredient that is often difficult to explain to your friends about why you are with so-and-so. Your friends may see your significant other’s glaring faults, but the ability to be yourself around them is an intangible quality. But being comfortable, being able to relax and be yourself and be accepted can balance out a lot.

Finding that comfort can be difficult with friends—that easiness to the relationship, like when friends can enjoy a good silence between each other—much less significant others. Frankly, it is rare that we find those folks we can be comfortable around. Because there is so much artifice surrounding the game of dating, it takes time to get to that place where you can be genuine.

When you find that connection, it's precious; and maintaining it can be work, but it's the heart of the relationship. So, besides time, continual conversation can get you to this place. Talking, and more importantly, listening, are skills best developed as soon as possible. The sooner you can quit being so self conscious about yourself and the sooner you can stop thinking so much about how others view your relationship, the sooner you can learn how to just breathe about your significant other.

Or ... not breathe. It took me nearly two years into my marriage before I could pass gas in front of my wife. I thought that was a major breakthrough in our relationship. She informed that she could live with one or two walls in our relationship.


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Chuck – A Review

"Nerd Delight"

My arch-nemesis/friend Nick Kaufmann and equally huge television watcher, told me that I would love the show Chuck. I hate it when he’s right. Chuck has already become one of my three favorite new shows of the fall (along with Life and Women’s Murder Club). What we see is Josh Schwartz (creator of The O.C.; McG is even around to direct the pilot) taking his best character from the show (Seth Cohen) and building a series around a similar character. Maybe it would be easier to let Chuck Bartowsky introduce the show:

“Hi. My name is Charles Bartowsky but you can call me Chuck. Those are my shoes. This is my life. It’s filled with spies, car chases, computer stealing ninjas, and me saving the day.”

The premise is simple: a twenty-something computer geek gets critical government secrets downloaded into his brain, so rival government agencies recruit him, guard him, and keep him out of evil hands. Chuck and his best friend, Morgan Grimes (Joshua Gomez), are members of the nerd Herd at the local Buy More electronics store (next door to Large Mart). One day he’s drifting through life as usual, things having not worked out the way he had planned, not knowing how important he’s about to become; the next moment, he doesn’t go into the rabbit hole, the rabbit hole goes into him. His old Stanford buddy sends him an e-mail containing thousands of encrypted images/ the combined secrets of the CIA and NSA. Suddenly, he’s enmeshed in the life of a spy. He’s like the anti-Neo.

“Some people want to be heroes and others have to be asked.” –Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski)

Despite being surrounded by a hot CIA agent, Sarah, and a ready-to-shoot NSA agent (Adam Baldwin, Serenity), Chuck refuses to let knowing government’s secrets change his life. He still goes to work, spends time with family and friends, and still pursues love. Despite him being a man with secrets, Chuck knows who he is, it is liberating. The show comes down to what’s really important in life, relationships. Chuck and his best friend (let no one come between their man love). Chuck and his sister, Ellie Bartowski (Sarah Lancaster). Chuck and Sarah. Friendship, family, and the possibility of romance.

“What’s the good of being a hero if no one knows about it?” –Chuck

Webster defines hero as "a person noted or admired for nobility, courage, outstanding achievements". Or, as Joseph Campbell puts it, "a hero ventures forth from the world into a region of common day into a region of supernatural wonder: fabulous forces are there encountered and a decisive victory is won: the hero comes back from this mysterious adventure with the power to bestow boons on his fellow man." Granted, you may picture Jack Bauer long before you picture Chuck Bartowsky, but they share many similar traits that make them heroes: noble, trustworthy, loyal, just, and good; a mix of patriotism and professionalism, as they are both true to their country and their jobs. On another level, his essential story, the monomyth, echoes the story of Christ, humble guy who goes onto great things.

Part spy spoof, part workplace comedy, and tribute to the nerd hero, Chuck is a light-hearted romp. Considering how often Chuck stumbles on them (kind of like how Jessica from Murder She Wrote had family accused of murder every week, which ought to make one wonder about their family) there are conspiracies all around us. Suffused with a quick wit, the show is hilarious and we find ourselves laughing with the nerds, not at them. And because everyone is trying to remain undercover, a lot of the battles are cleverly staged, though there is still plenty of car chases and things that go boom.

In this age of the nerd becoming the leading man rather than loveable sidekick, Chuck is another step toward the dream. One day, though no time soon I hope, the nerd will get the girl.


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Living the Via Negativa

In our culture we rarely have room to explore our darkness in our books, movies, and music without debasing ourselves. Such exploration, be it through horror novels or sometimes harsh music, can allow us to examine our darker sides and even, by seeing our darker sides, to self-correct. This isn’t anything new. Making an argument against a certain viewpoint by showing the negative conclusion to which it ultimately leads has been called via negativa, or the "way of the negative."

Yet, there is dueling trend in our culture, where the marketplace exploits and promulgates certain images. From depicting women as prostitutes to the proliferation of the N-word (a vicious and demeaning word with a history of death and dehumanization behind it) in both our movies and music, it’s like we’re taking the worst of who we are and marketing it as something to aspire to. In our exuberance to keep topping ourselves, keep pushing those boundaries, we’ve forgotten who we are.

Flirting with the indecent has led to innovations: from the blues to rock ‘n roll to hip hop, to the rise of the independent film, to books we wouldn’t otherwise be able to read. Going against the grain has always made the artist stand out. There’s a fine line we artists should be walking, with the responsibility of the artist being to consider quite seriously the idea that we may be glorifying or somehow making cool or acceptable the dark and macabre things of this world.

I don’t want this to be read as a call for the indecency police. There’s a time for the incendiary, the edginess, but we don’t want our normative state to be angry and edgy. And while the via negative allows us to wrestle with despair and sometimes see or find the beauty in the darkness, that gives too much credit to too many of our so-called artists.

We’ve lost our sense of shame. We’ve lost our sense of honor. In so doing, we’ve lost our sense of character. We witness the coarsening our language and the dulling of our conscience. So we need to realize that while we don’t need to censor artists, our eyes work, our ears work, and we know where the stop button is.

Apologies for the random rant.


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In the Room

Last spring, a black assistant coach referred to members of his special teams unit as the “White Nation.” All sorts of banter goes on in an athletic locker room, the room being the social context for such comments. Many things can be said in the room, from well-intentioned racial badinage to sexist comments to any of a number of potentially embarrassing jokes. This isn’t to excuse any of that, only to point out that often things said within the room are just that, within the room, and can be especially dangerous outside of the room.

However, I’m intrigued by the idea of joking as acceptance, as a way of letting folks into the room, into their circle. There is a bit of a cultural element at work here, and, no, I’m not referring to growing up playing the dozens or anything like that. But rather, as a guy. Guys can be harsh with one another, riding each other, busting one another out of a sign of camaraderie and equality.

Now, I’m not going to insult anyone’s intelligence by trying to pretend that the locker room mentality, the same brandishing of wit often displayed at a “guy’s night”, is the sort of intellectual sparring one might have seen among the ancient Greek philosophers. Often stupid and crass, at least in guy locker rooms, humor can be the leveler of the playing field, where no one gets a free pass. Humor and nicknames are dual-edged weapons: they can include people as well as be injurious to them.

Not everyone can take certain levels of joking, some folks being more sensitive than others. There can be a fine line between a bullying insult and the camaraderie of equals. What some might consider an insider’s joke others might consider mean-spirited. The difference is one of intent and intent is much easier to gauge when you not only understand the nature of the relationship but also are confident within it.

So being brought into the room comes with a certain amount of risk and may require the development of thicker skin and greater intestinal fortitude. However, by my estimation, there are worse things - like being left outside the room.


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Bionic Woman – A Review

"Keep Re-Building"

From the creators of Battlestar Galactica, The Bionic Woman updates the high camp of the 70s series with a straight face. Jaime Sommers (East Enders' Michelle Ryan), girlfriend of a scientist, Will Anthros (Chris Bowers), gets side-swiped by a truck. Luckily for her 1) her boyfriend escapes from the accident unharmed and 2) he’s part of a secret government program that can rebuild her. At least the parts of her that need rebuilding: both legs, an arm, an ear, an eye — all replaced with military bionics. Hardwired for combat, as her boyfriend breaks her situation to her, her blood stream is also full of “anthracites” which allow for, among other things, faster healing. The downside is that she's now government property and must participate in secret operations or be killed.

Okay, so not that straight of a face. The series uneven nature is hard to appreciate until you’ve seen a few consecutive episodes. The pilot was … functional. It got us to the super powers. After that, the series enters a state of constant flux. It was as if the creators were so excited about the concept (“we’re updating the Bionic Woman! I was so hot for her as a kid!!!”), they didn’t fully think out the backstory of the series or characters. And there are a lot of characters they have to choose from to bore us with (whose personalities tend to change with each episode also). It’s a television-familiar cast from Ruth Treadwell (Molly Price, Third Watch), Jonas Bledsoe (Miguel Ferrer, Crossing Jordan), to Antonio Pope (Isaiah Washington, recently fired from Grey’s Anatomy). Unfortunately, no one has much to work with.

“When is it okay to intervene on God’s work?” –Will Anthros
Jamie Wells Summer is stable, loyal, smart, all the things one would want in a girlfriend. She has her act seemingly together. Saddled with an angry, angst-ridden teen sister, Becca Summers (Lucy Hale), the bionics represent her entering her own personal matrix and being given true freedom as opposed to the illusion of it she enjoyed previously. Cutting away all of the parts of her that are weak, she begins to see the world in a new way, experiencing things anew.

“You have no idea what you can do now. It’s a gift. It’s not what you wanted, you didn’t ask for it, it’s not fair, but it’s where you are. And I’m not going to stand around and watch you flush your life down the toilet.” –Jonas

A life ends. A new life begins. Or as the Apostle Paul put it, “We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life … For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (Romans 6 4-6).

We begin to question not only who we are, but what we are doing here. That is where the journey begins, that journey of discovery of what it means to be fully human, of learning what we are capable of doing. To figure out how to live as we were created to live, to resist empty ways of living, to find a larger purpose to your life. It may mean being a part of something larger, maybe even an organization out to save the world.

“Sooner or later, you’re going to have to make a choice … welcome to the game.” –Jonas
The Bionic Woman is wildly uneven, much like the protagonist’s acting or her chief nemesis’, Sarah Corvus (Katee Sackhoff having a ball playing the only truly fun character on the show), personality. The characters tend to spout exposition, not actual dialogue; they behave in sometimes bizarre (since we can't say "out of character" since those characters haven't been defined) ways. Ryan isn't up to the task of conveying angst and gravitas via hurt looks and endless exposition (telling us she's hurt is a lot different from us feeling her pain).

However, it does show signs of lightening up in recent episodes. The show itself is still in search of what it wants to be, retool as it goes until it finds its legs: a quasi-feminist/girl power sort of romp (a la, s, though it has that pesky “men in control of your life” underbelly); a popcorn thrill-ride romp that doesn’t take itself too seriously; a social commentary of a woman’s role in the military and society? Ryan lacks the dynamic sparkle needed to act opposite Sackhoff, much less be able to share the screen with Isaiah Washington. That’s how things stand as of now. Who knows what the show will be about by the time the next episode airs. And let's hope that we care by then.


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Mo*Con III: The Intersection of Spirituality, Art, and Gender*

Hosted by The Dwelling Place and the Indiana Horror Writers.

Church is a communal expression of faith, to pursue spiritual formation to be the kind of people God wants us to be. To be a safe place to ask and wrestle with spiritual questions. Whose mandate should include building a sense of community, loving each other, and serving the world, all in the name of Christ. So why not have church with a bunch of horror writers?

Continuing the tradition of exploring spirituality, art, and social issues, The Dwelling Place desires to be a refuge or sanctuary, a place of rest and freedom for people to be themselves, where we connect with God and one another by joining Jesus’ mission to bless the world. The goal of Mo*Con, pure and simple, is to continue conversations. With that in mind, I’ve invited a few friends to chat with me for the weekend:

Guests of Honor:

Nick Mamatas
The editor of Clarksworld Magazine, Nick Mamatas' work appears frequently in Razor Magazine, The Village Voice, and various Disinformation Books and BenBella Books' Smart Pop Books anthologies. His short novel Northern Gothic (Soft Skull, 2001) was nominated for the Bram Stoker Award for Best Long Fiction in 2002. His first full-length novel, Move Under Ground (Night Shade Books, 2004/Prime Books, 2006) was nominated for both the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel and the International Horror Guild Award for Best First Novel in 2005. His second novel, Under My Roof, was released in 2007.

Mark Rainey
Author of the novels Dark Shadows: Dreams of the Dark (with Elizabeth Massie, HarperCollins, 1999), Balak (Wildside Books, 2000), The Lebo Coven (Thomson Gale/Five Star Books, 2004), The Nightmare Frontier (Sarob Press, 2006), and Blue Devil Island (Thomson Gale/Five Star Books, 2007), Mark Rainey has also published three short story collections and over 80 published works of short fiction. Some may remember him from his editing of the legendary magazine, Deathrealms.

Matt Cardin
Matt Cardin is a writer of horror fiction and scholarly essays. His books include: Divinations of the Deep, a collection of literary horror stories with a dark spiritual theme; The God of Foulness, a novella about a cult that seeks salvation by worshipping a god of disease; and a second collection of his work, titled Dark Awakenings in late 2007 which wiill feature fiction and nonfiction writings about horror -- both the existential experience and the entertainment genre -- and religion.

Lucy Snyder
The author of Sparks and Shadows, a cross-genre short story collection from HW Press, Lucy A. Snyder may be most known for her humor collection Installing Linux on a Dead Badger (And Other Oddities). With over 70 short fiction sales and over 20 poetry sales, her fiction goes all over the road, although she does tend to write genre stories (science fiction, fantasy, horror, romance, etc.) more often than straightforward mainstream fiction. She also writes a column for Horror World on science and technology for writers.


Featured Guests Include:

Chesya Burke
With more than 40 publishing credits to her name, including the acclaimed Chocolate Park, Chesya Burke has been making her mark in the horror and fantasy worlds. She has several articles appearing in the African American National Biography published by Harvard University and Oxford University Press, received the 2003 Twilight Tales Award for fiction and an honorable mention in The Year’s Best Fantasy and Science Fiction: 18th Annual Edition.

Kim Paffenroth
The author of several books on the Bible and theology, Kim Paffenroth has been considering the interface between religion and pop culture, especially his favorite movie monster, the zombie. He has written Gospel of the Living Dead: George Romero's Visions of Hell on Earth (Baylor, 2006), and his zombie novel, Dying to Live (Permuted, 2007),

Bob Freeman
Bob Freeman majored in Anthropology at Ball State University, specializing in Witchcraft, Magic, and Religion. He is the author of the Cairnwood Manor Saga published by Black Death Books.






The overall weekend will look something like this:

Friday, June 13th
The Dwelling Place
7440 N. Michigan Road
Indianapolis, IN 46268

Doors open at 7:00 p.m.
8:00 p.m. Guest Reception
10:00 p.m. Concert by Mother Grove (what? You didn’t think I’d like a Celtic rock band?)

Saturday, June 14th
The Dwelling Place
Doors open at 10:00 a.m.

Panels will include discussions about how our respective faiths impact our writing, what editors demand, and the impact of gender issues when it comes to writing. We will have an artists gallery. Lunch and dinner will be provided and there will be an Apex Digest of Science Fiction and Horror after party.

Sunday, June 15th
The Dwelling Place
10:30 am - Dwelling Place Service
Followed by a Guest Farewell Luncheon.

Other confirmed guests include:
Kelli Dunlap, Gary Braunbeck, Jason Sizemore, Debbie Kuhn, John C. Hay, Taylor Kent, Lauren David, Carrie Rapp, Michael West, Sara Larson, and Tracy Jones. You can let me know if you are coming by leaving a note here (or drop me an e-mail).

There are plenty of nearby hotels (I am particularly fond of the MicroTel). This page will be updated as more guests and details are confirmed.

Cost: $10 per Person, but DONATIONS ARE APPRECIATED.

We hope to see you there!


*a.k.a. Make Sure Alethea Kontis Relaxes and is Spoiled Weekend


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Friday Night Date Place – Seriously, Just Friends (Take the Hint)

Every so often I have to put the word out: if you want me to keep doing Friday Night Date Place, I need folks to suggest some topics for me. So, from the suggestion bag, I got this: how do you love your brothers in Christ without giving them false hope of you wanting something more?

This is an all too common occurrence, an unintended consequence of folks trying to let other folks down gently. We know the deal, because we’ve been there before: a person puts themselves out on a limb, making themselves vulnerable, only to be turned down (or the relationship cut much shorter than they had hoped). So wanting to let them down is both commendable and loving. Unfortunately, sometimes the trying to be “just friends” is misinterpreted as them still having hope of being in the game.

So what if they don’t get the hint?

First off, let’s examine if you’ve done anything to confuse the issue. Being “just friends” aside, you don’t want to send mixed messages by still going out with them, accepting their gifts, or ramming your tongue down their throats (the whole “friends with benefits” being a topic for another day).

If you aren’t sending mixed signals you may have to have another, more firm, talk with them. The first go around you have license to pad your talk with crap. But if you’ve already gone down that road once before with the “but speeches” (“I really like you but …” or “You have so much going on for you, but ..”), then it’s time to “woman up” (read: put your big girl panties on) and be more blunt. I understand that you may worry about being perceived as not nice and, again, that’s commendable. You still need to be honest with the fact that things really aren’t going anywhere. If you have to, put the ball back in their court: where exactly did you see this going? Or flat out admit that being “just friends” isn’t working – and then cut all ties. The two things you want to continue to strive for is honesty and being loving. It’s about getting the truth across plainly while doing your best to spare someone’s dignity.

After that, play time is over. If someone is so desperate for attention, for any scrap that might prove "she likes me!" then don’t answer their phone calls, e-mails, any communication, ignore the smoke signals and hope they take the hint and go away. We’d hate for things to degenerate to the point of reducing you to humiliating tactics like finding excuses putting off time together (come on, how often can you spend evenings doing your hair?) or coming up with lies like wearing a ring to announce your recent “engagement”. On the flip side, this is the age of stalkers and restraining orders.

If you have made it CLEAR that you aren't interested and they still pursue you, that’s on them. You can’t be responsible for what other people feel. It’s sad to see things get to a point where you feel like you can't even be nice to folks or that they don't understand anything but outright being ignored; however, sometimes folks just aren’t meant to be “just friends”.


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Writing Goals 2008

(a.k.a. the list formerly known as New Year’s Resolutions)

So I’ve been on a bit of a blog sabbatical (I haven’t even been reading blogs, much less writing any) as I have been wrapping up a draft of a new dark fantasy novel. (Okay, sure, I’ve been busy with the holidays, what with Christmas and New Year’s activities). Still, it’s a good time to reflect not only on the previous year’s accomplishments, but set new goals to strive for. (I prefer to set goals rather than make resolutions. Resolutions are cheap promises that I’m prone to breaking at my earliest convenience. Goals are something to work toward.)