Category: Uncategorized

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Just Start Over…

Hi Jim, I’m in a major bind… I was working on my latest piece. I’d been working on it for days and… forgot to save it. I was about 140 pages in and suddenly my computer blue-screened. I’ve lost everything and Word didn’t auto-save it. I’m not sure of what to do now. I feel like having to start from scratch is a fairly … Read More Just Start Over…

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Alternate Universe?

Hi Jim, I hope you don’t mind, but I saw your posts about asking a question and thought I’d shoot you an email. I saw from your other posts that you think using an alternate universe is poor story telling. I wanted to write a sequel to one of my books, but essentially it would be going back and exploring what would have happened … Read More Alternate Universe?

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Let Me In (2010)

Bullied at school, neglected at home and incredibly lonely, 12-year-old Owen (Kodi Smit-McPhee) spends his days plotting revenge on his tormentors and spends his nights spying on other residents of the apartment complex. His sole friend is Abby (Chloë Grace Moretz), a strange girl who comes out only at nighttime. Both outcasts, the two form a strong bond. When Abby’s caretaker disappears amid a … Read More Let Me In (2010)

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Spider Gwen… is it good?

Let me just say that I had high hopes for this series. An alternate reality where Gwen gets bitten instead of Peter Parker. Peter dies and Gwen becomes spider… woman. The premise is great, the costume if awesome and the character is pretty good too. The end result is a series that literally flies off the shelves and rarer variants showing up on Ebay … Read More Spider Gwen… is it good?

Schadenfreude is NOT Scary!

I’ve been a huge horror movie fan for a while, but there is one thing that always irked me about a certain ongoing trend in them. I was going to ignore it until I noticed that it was happening in suspense/thriller novels as well. Here’s the deal, everyone has seen these movies. The story starts off with a group of people. These people are … Read More Schadenfreude is NOT Scary!

The Lost Boys of Hook, 25 Years Later — thenerdsofcolor

Ready to feel old? This December, Steven Spielberg’s Hook — the film that imagined what happened to Peter Pan (the late Robin Williams) after he grew up — will be celebrating its 25th anniversary. Recently, Entertainment Tonight reunited the movie’s Lost Boys — who were all child actors at the time — to get back into […] via The Lost Boys of Hook, 25 Years … Read More The Lost Boys of Hook, 25 Years Later — thenerdsofcolor

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Action Figure Collecting…

I want to take a few minutes to talk about action figures. For years now, I’ve been collecting Star Wars and Superhero figures. Usually I buy two of each; one in package, the other out to play with my boys with. That way I always have a collectible. Recently I’ve noticed something about action figures as they’ve been released. With the 3.75″ Star Wars … Read More Action Figure Collecting…

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Writing Strong Women

Hi Jim, I’ve read a couple of your books and have a question for you… I’ve noticed in your books that you write some pretty tough girls! It seems like you put more effort into the heroines than the heroes. I was wondering if you were a feminist? Thanks, Kelly Ugh… you know I try to avoid taking sides or being labelled one way … Read More Writing Strong Women

No Permanent Death in Fantasy

This is something that has been irking me for some time now. It’s a recurrent theme in most fantasy fiction, in stories, comics, and in movies. No matter what happens in a fantasy universe, there is always a way to bring a character back. No matter what. If the character is popular, there will always be an incantation, or special portal, or some sort … Read More No Permanent Death in Fantasy

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WTF… Tim Burton…

So now it’s been announced that there will be a Beetlejuice 2, and thus there is now even more evidence, that Hollywood has lost it’s touch. I don’t know about this… I’ll wait and see on this one. However, I’ve had some time to reflect on many movies recently and I have reached one inescapable conclusion… I CAN’T STAND Tim Burton! Honestly, to me, he … Read More WTF… Tim Burton…

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Character Profiles: The Vengeance Doctrine

Mary Kelly:  Age: (Exact Age Unknown) Apprx. 153 Years Place of Birth: Ireland Power(s): Stealth, Inhuman Speed, Night vision Weapon: Any blade, though usually utilizes a Japanese Kodachi. History/Profile: Not much is known about Mary other than she had a fairly tough life. She doesn’t discuss her origins with anyone on the team. Only Mike knows the truth about her past. She is a … Read More Character Profiles: The Vengeance Doctrine

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Why do we cater to Political Correctness in our Writing?

This is something I’ve seen, not only in writing, but also movie-making, and comic books. It’s something I can say that I’m guilty of as well. What do I mean when I say we cater to the PC (Politically Correct) crowd? Well… honestly, we spend a lot of time concerned with the ethnicity of our characters, who get’s killed off and/or who gets center … Read More Why do we cater to Political Correctness in our Writing?