Ok, I’m going to take a moment to wax poetic about The Avengers.  Marvel Studios did an incredible job bringing their superhero franchises together in one big kick ass movie.  It helped they had this planned all along with each movie adding something toward the whole (if you stayed after the credits that is…).  The outcome was one of the best superhero movies ever made.  If you have not seen it, go fix that right now…I’ll wait…just go.  They also set events in motion for the second Avengers movie and I can’t wait to see one of my favorite comics villains on the screen.  It was funny because only a handful of us in the theater knew who it was.  I know DC plans a JLA movie, but they are getting to the party late and have to relaunch all their franchises to get it set up.  I don’t want another Batman reboot, I want a fourth Chris Nolan Batman flick! 

Enough about that and now some random thoughts.

1. Watched the new Muppet movie again tonight and in all honesty, it brings a tear to your eye.  I have some, let us say depressed, moments in my life where I let the inner darkness take hold and I spiral down into a bad place within myself.  I’ve had this issue again lately and it screws up my writing because I begin to doubt myself and what I write, like each word is testament to how bad I am.  The movie’s ending is really uplifting and I needed that message right now.  No matter how bad things get and when everything hits rock bottom, there is a dignity with pushing forward and holding your head up high.  Kermit’s speech about doing that was a badly needed pick-me-up and brought a smile to my face.

2. Pugs want to rule the world.  I believe they would already if they weren’t so lazy.  If my pug is how the rest of them act, I’m surprised they found the will power to stop eating and procreate… Hey, I call ’em like I see ’em.

3.  My experiment with writing a story with another author is going really good.  He’s liked what I’ve contributed so far and that’s gone a long way to silencing the doubt that had crept in again.

4.  Father Grim’s Storybook from Wicked East Press is now at the printer.  When it becomes available in a few weeks, I’ll be happy to see my story “As I Crossed Lincoln Bridge” in print.  The story was really tough to write and is one of my favorite pieces.  It is based on a little known rhyme and when I took it dark, I took it reeaallllyyyy dark.  As a father of two sons, the ending was the most gut-wrenching thing I’ve ever written and it haunted me for a few weeks afterward.  Putting myself in the head of the father was rough and led to the ending being what it is.  The ending in the book was not the one I planned, but grew organically out of how the story had taken hold of me.  The cover is sweet too!

5.  Don’t forget the contest if you haven’t signed up to follow the blog yet.  May 15th is the date and the winner selected from all blog followers is a signed copy of Rymfire Undead’s Undead Tales 2 with my story “The Reaper Rides”. 

Well that should do it for tonight so,

Goodnight…