From The "A Nigger Moment" File

If you’ve been reading BLOOD & INK on a regular basis (and if not, then whyain’tcha?) The you’ll have noticed that from time to time I’ll post something here that has been written by one of the most extraordinarily talented artists it’s been my pleasure to work with; Sean E. Ali.

Sean has a habit of writing these amazingly perceptive and on point essays on his Facebook wall that should be read by a wider audience. But Sean is truly a modest man and resists all my suggestions that he should start a blog or something where these thoughts can saved and savored and not lost in the blur of Facebooks posts.  Sean’s a deep thinker who truly has something worth saying about some very important societal topics affecting all of us today.

Fortunately he has a friend like me who has no shame at all in reposting his insightful words on his own blog.

Okay, I’ve run my mouth far too much already. I now turn the floor over to Mr. Ali…

So let me get this straight...

The people upset most that the President used the word "nigger" in an interview...

...are the very people who have been calling him that in one form or another since '08...

...or wasn't Cornell West using it to describe the President's avoidance of the subject he was confronting when he used the word...

...or are people of color who use it as a part of their daily speech when referring to themselves or people they know who think that tossing a bunch of different vowels and consonants on at the end somehow makes the word something other than what it was?

Uh huh...

If that ain't a "nigger moment", I don't know what is...

For the record, I'm going for the Queen's English version of that word which denotes an "ignorant person"...

The word long before it was a racial slur was used to describe a lack of intelligence, an ignorance of things that were obvious.

In short, there is no positive spin for the word.

Sorry, Chris Rock, I know you want to resurrect it after the NAACP did that whole symbolic burial thing, but really it's not the kind of word that meant "Freedom" in Swahili, it's still ignorant even when it's not racial.

For the youngsters and the hip hop community and those folks who think they are down when they use it as a greeting or expression of friendship.

It isn't. It never was no matter how many times you add "az", "uh", "a", "ruh", or whatever else you come up with, you're still calling someone ignorant, you're still insulting someone's intelligence even when race isn't a factor...

But when you do it to one another and then lose your minds because someone who isn't you or yours uses the term...

...then it's racial and stupid, and you're a hypocrite.

If the word is wrong, it's wrong all the way around. You can't pick and choose the moments it's okay to speak a slur or insult, because it's a slur and an insult all the time. You can dress it up if you like, but it is what it is all the time...

At least the President used it as a proper example of the ingrained nature of racism in American culture and the difficulty of erasing nearly six hundred years (if you take in the total time of Africans sending their own to the Europeans who then bound them over into slavery overseas to well, now) of racial inequality in a weekend when it's got that large a head start, is an accurate assessment and summary of what he said.

And FOX Newsertainment wants to act like what he said was somehow the most horrible thing ever uttered by a president...

....despite their long track record of profiling people of certain ethnic groups and hiding behind the new "nigger" trigger word of "thug"...

All of you need to take a breath and listen to yourselves before you start jumping on someone else for using the EXACT SAME WORD YOU USE AND REFUSE TO LET GO OF in a context that offends you...

...probably because what was said is true.

And how Black people can sit around demanding the removal of the Confederate battle flag and not abandon the use of a word which is linked to that flag and that era like a guy with a burning cross and a white hood on his head is one of those things I'm not understanding...

Maybe the Johnny Reb isn't the only thing that needs to be left in the past...

Something to consider, friends.

Originally posted on Sean's Facebook wall June 23erd, 2015

875 Words (More or Less) About Getting Caught Up In Researching

See, research used to be a whole lot harder back in the day before the Internet. I know there are a whole bunch of you right now clutching your hearts and staggering around like Fred Sanford exclaiming; “No…no Internet? What did people do all day long?” I could tell you but that’s another essay for another time. This one here is about my ruminations and musings on the pitfalls of doing research.

Way back in the 1980s in order to do my research for whatever I was working on at the time what I would do is set aside a day (usually Saturday) to go to my local library and spend the morning just researching. At that time I lived in Ebbets Field.

Which was only a nice little thirty minute walk to the library on Grand Army Plaza. So I got my exercise as well. Once the research was done I treated myself to the rest of the day off.

So now we fast-forward to the Internet Age where I can now simply Google any information about anything at all and do my research in my pajamas in the comfort of my home because now the library comes to me. And that’s a good thing. Maybe too much of a good thing.

Let me explain: the current project I’m working on is set during World War I during what was one of the most important conflicts in the history of warfare: The Battle of Cambrai. Cambrai is a town in France that is distinguished due to the fact that it was first time tanks were used in large numbers in combat successfully. Now, I know as much about The Battle of Cambrai as I do about the dark side of the moon. But that’s where things get interesting.

I go ahead and Google up The Battle of Cambrai and there’s a whole lotta good articles and information on the battle. I breathe a sigh of relief and dig in. The trail of research even leads me to YouTube as there’s a goodish number of documentaries from the History Channel about The Battle of Cambrai. I’m encouraged now, y’see? I hungrily absorb everything I’m learning and putting into the story as now I feel much more confident being armed with dates, names and maps to give my story a solid foundation.

So what’s the problem?

I re-read the first three chapters of the book and it occurred to me that what I had actually done was bury the story under the weight of the dates, names and maps. So intent had I been making sure I had the historical stuff right I sacrificed doing the stuff that I know how to do: dialog, characterization, action. Y’know…the stuff I had been asked to do on this project as that was the reason I had been engaged to work on it in the first place.

And I’ve always been the guy who preached that if facts got in the way of telling a good story then throw the facts away and don’t worry about it. But I didn’t do it this time and after some time I had it figured out as to why I wasn’t doing it. These weren’t my characters and this wasn’t a setting I had chosen. My confidence wasn’t holding me up on this one. And usually my confidence level is ridiculously high. But not this time. This time I felt I needed the facts to prove that I knew what I was doing.

And after a couple of days of burning up brain cells meditating about the situation it got through to me that I did know what I was doing. I was asked to write an action packed pulp adventure full of derring-do, thrills and chills. I hadn’t been asked to write a historical fiction novel ala John Jakes. The historical stuff of World War I and The Battle of Cambrai was just the backdrop for the story.

So what did I do? Why I scrapped the first three chapters and rewrote them, of course. But this time I only used just as much research as I needed to move the story along and that’s all.

So what’s the moral of this story? I guess it’s not to let research get in the way of having fun writing. Unless of course you actually are writing a historical fiction novel and in that case it’s of primary importance that you stick to the facts.  Or maybe the moral is that since research is so easy to do now that it’s way too easy to get caught up in research for research’s sake and convince yourself that you’re doing research when you’re actually entertaining yourself swimming in the sea of research.

But you’ll be glad to know that once I got through trudging through that bog, the novel proved to be a lot easier to work on and it’s going faster than I thought it would. What novel is this you ask?

Well, if I told you that now then I wouldn’t have a subject for us to talk about the next time, would I?

32 Months Later With Balogun Ojetade

Derrick Ferguson: What are the major changes that have taken place in your life personally and professionally since we last talked?

Balogun Ojetade: Personally, I now have two grandchildren (I had one back then), with a third one on the way and my father passed October 16, 2013, a year and a day after our first interview went live.

Professionally, I have published several books, completed a feature film, won a screenwriting contest and participated in several panels around the country.

DF: How have you grown as a writer/editor/publisher in the past 32 months?

BO: I certainly have – physically, at least. I now weigh 220 pounds. Back in 2012, I weighed about 180!

Seriously, I believe I have. I certainly have much more experience in all aspects of the business and the art. I have always worked hard at my craft as a writer, but I am devoting almost as much time to learning the business side of books.

DF: Is the direction you’re heading in now the same as it was 32 months ago?

BO: Pretty much. I have a stronger focus on pushing Black Speculative Fiction to the masses, now and I – with Milton Davis – have produced and / or curated nearly a dozen events since we last talked. These events include The Mahogany Masquerade; Alien Encounters; the Black Speculative Film Festival; the Black Science Fiction and Fantasy Youth Summit; The Black Speculative Fiction Author Showcase and many others. And now we are Co-Chairing SOBSFic Con (“State of Black Science Fiction Con) in 2016.

DF: Where do you see yourself five years from now?     

         

BO: I see myself publishing other authors, making more films and giving the world SOBSFic Con II. I also see a vacation in there, as I have not taking a vacation (other than working ones) in twenty-five years. My vacation spot of choice is Gabon, in Central Africa, my ancestral home.

DF: Do you think you’ve found your audience? Or that your audience has found you?

BO: My audience has found me. I wish I knew exactly who they were; it would certainly help with marketing. However, in this digital age, people buy books and you don’t know who they are unless they send you a message saying how much they loved, or didn’t love, your book.

DF: Have any of your attitudes about your work or your style of writing changed completely or modified?

BO: No sir. I’m still the same old me. If anything, I am more willing to experiment. Three years ago, I would have been too intimidated to write a Choose-Your-Own-Adventure-style book. I did that last year with The Keys and I am plotting out the second book in the series.

DF: Tell us about Steamfunk and your place in the genre.

BO: Steamfunk is the Black / African expression of Steampunk, but it is more than that. While steam is the dominant technology in Steampunk it doesn’t have to be in Steamfunk. Most non-European cultures did not rely on steam and saw steam technology as a tool of the oppressor. We deal with that in Steamfunk. We tell the stories of George Washington Carver, Bass Reeves, Harriet Tubman, John Henry and Frederick Douglass – stories you won’t read in Steampunk.

My place in the genre is as an author and screenwriter. Up until this year, I would have been considered the Steamfunk activist. But now I push Black Speculative Fiction in general. I think Steamfunk has grown wings and really caught on, which was my plan. No need for me to keep that as my focus.

DF: Rococoa is a genre that really excites me. For those not in the know can you tell us what Rococoa is?

Where Sword and Soul ends and before Steamfunk begins, there is the Age of Spring Technology and Clockwork. Think Three Finger’d Jack; the pirate, Black Caesar; and the Haitian Revolution. Think the Black Count, Nat Turner, and the Stono Rebellion…that is Rococoa!

A couple of years ago, at the Mahogany Masquerade: An Evening of Steamfunk and Film, I inquired about the era that sits between Sword and Soul – the subgenre of African-inspired epic and heroic fantasy that is usually set before colonization – and Steamfunk, which normally takes place between 1837 and 1901. I asked if anyone had a name for that time because it is a time that fascinates me – a time of revolution (in particular, the Haitian Revolution); a time of pirates and swashbucklers; a time of reverence for art and science. I am a huge fan of The Three Musketeers in all media and Brotherhood of the Wolf, also set during that era, is one of my favorite movies.

No one at the event had a name for the era, however, everyone agreed the time possessed that same  “cool factor” found in Steamfunk and Sword and Soul.

Curious by nature and a researcher by choice, I immediately began my quest of discovery, fueled by my determination to find a name for this era that fascinated me so.

After a brief bit of research, I stumbled upon Rococo…and, to my surprise, Rococopunk.

Rococo is derived from the French word rocaille, originally meaning the bits of rocky decoration sometimes found in 16th-century architectural schemes. It was first used in its modern sense around 1800, at about the same time as baroque, and, like baroque, was initially a pejorative term.

Rococopunk is – like Dieselpunk – a sibling of Steampunk, set in the earlier Renaissance era, primarily in the high-class French community of the time. Participants in this movement wear outlandish makeup and hairstyles and sport bold, brightly colored clothing.

Think Amadeus, Pirates of the Caribbean, or The Adventures of Baron Munchausen. For darker Rococo, think Last of the Mohicans, Perfume: The Story of A Murderer, Brotherhood of the Wolf, or Sleepy Hollow (the 1999 film, not the television show).

Okay, I had a name for the era. Now, I needed to come up with a name to define the Black expression of Rococopunk; a name to define the subgenre so that – as author and publisher Milton Davis says of Steamfunk and Sword and Soul – “when you hear or read ‘Steamfunk’ or ‘Sword and Soul’, you know exactly what you’re getting.”

Before I could come up with a name myself, the brilliant Briaan L. Barron, artist and owner of Bri-Dimensional Images, did it for me with her release of the documentary, Steamfunk and Rococoa: A Black Victorian Fantasy. While there is not much talk of Rococo or Rococopunk in the documentary – it is mainly about Steampunk and Steamfunk and features Diana Pho of Beyond Victoriana and Yours Truly – the spelling, Rococoa, was perfect!

At present, I am seeking submissions of Rococoa stories for an anthology I will release in early 2016. It is the first anthology I am publishing and I am very excited about it.

DF: You and Milton Davis won the 2014 Urban Action Showcase Award for Best Action Script for your screenplay NGOLO. How did you guys celebrate when you won?

BO: We celebrated with some great Chinese food and a beer. The next day, we were back on the grind, strategizing our next step with the screenplay.

DF: Tell us about the story of NGOLO and your plans for it. Will we eventually see the movie?

BO: The basic premise of NGOLO is this:

In the near-future, assassinations are legal, as long as they are carried out by government-sanctioned guilds of assassins, who settle disputes in boardrooms and political offices around the world. One guild – the Bloodmen – is the most skilled; the most dangerous; the most feared…until the day the hunters become the hunted.

Here’s the plot:

When a contract for the life of Senator PATRICK STANTON – a man hell-bent on eradicating the assassin guilds – is issued and taken on by the Bloodmen, it is suspected by the Bloodmen’s Guild Professor (2nd-In-Command), STEPHEN JONES, that the master of the guild, KAMARA KEITA, accepted the contract pro-bono (an illegal practice) in order to force Senator Stanton to vote in favor of the continued existence of legal assassination and assassin guilds at the upcoming vote on the Anti-Assassination Bill.

Desiring leadership of the Bloodmen, Stephen challenges Guildmaster Kamara to combat, with the prize being command of the guild. Kamara defeats Stephen. Ashamed and envious, Stephen leaves the Bloodmen and attempts to turn the other guilds against Kamara. Instead, the other Guildmasters and Guild Professors back Kamara and even encourage him to kill Stephen for his betrayal, which Kamara refuses to do.

Stephen goes to assassin wannabes, the TIGERS and offers them a chance to become a legitimate guild if they help him bring down the Bloodmen. The leader of the Tigers, CARLOS FAIRCHILD, is reluctant at first, but Stephen convinces him that, under Guildmaster Kamara’s leadership, the Bloodmen have become corrupt and they must be stopped before they cause the eradication of legal assassination and all the guilds. Carlos joins forces with Stephen and hands over leadership of the Tigers – and a few street gangs he has influence over – to the former Bloodman.

The Bloodmen throw their annual Founders’ Day celebration. All of the Guildmasters and Guild Professors from around the world attend. Kamara awaits the arrival of his son, MALCOLM and Malcolm’s fiancée, JAMELA RASHON, both top Bloodmen assassins.

Jamela is en route from an assignment in San Diego and Malcolm is en route from a job in Japan. While on his way to the Bloodmen’s guild house, Malcolm is ambushed by the Tigers. At the same time, the guild house is attacked by an army of Tigers and thugs, led by Stephen.

Jamela comes upon the house as it is being attacked.

And then…

You’ll have to wait for the movie or the graphic novel to find out what happens next. We are negotiating both right now, so I can’t say much, but a major feature film is going to happen, but man, it is a long process. Hopefully, the feature film will hit the Big Screen in 2017. The graphic novel should drop a bit earlier in the same year or in late 2016.

DF: You and Milton Davis have proven to be quite the formidable partnership. What’s the secret of such a successful team?

BO: Hard work, consistency and courage. When Milton and I first met – to discuss creating Ngolo, actually – I told Milton that I operate from a position of power; not fear; that I get things done and have no time for naysayers. He had the same principles, so we started setting up events and projects together. Of course, we would discuss our stories with each other and that led to us doing some collaboration with Ki-Khanga, Rite of Passage and Ngolo.  Now, my final installment of Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman will be set in Milton’s world of Freedonia.

It’s fun working with Milton and we have much more work to do together.

DF: Tell us about the State of Black Science Fiction Convention. How did it come about?

BO: Milton and I have long discussed doing a convention. All of the Black conventions at present are focused on comic books. That’s cool, but we need something more. There are many fans of Black Speculative Fiction who aren’t into comic books. I’m one of them. I lost a real interest in comic books after the last issue of Brotherman dropped, but I never lost interest in novels, films and television. Milton is not a fan of comic books either. I say that, not to bash comic books or comic book conventions, but to say that we need conventions that offer more, so we decided to create our own – one that would feature all aspects of Black Speculative Fiction. After curating Alien Encounters, a four-day Black Speculative Fiction conference (more academic than a convention) and sitting on panels at cons across the country, we know how to do this and it is going to be epic.

We call it State of Black Science Fiction Con because State of Black Science Fiction is the name of our collective. We call it SOBSFic [SAHBS-fik] Con for short. SOBSFic Con is set for June 17-18, 2016. There is already a huge buzz around it and we are expecting to get a great turnout.

DF: What are you working on now?

BO: I am working on Moses: The Chronicles of Harriet Tubman: Freedonia now. That will be the only novel I release this year. The rest of my time will be devoted to developing and marketing SOBSFic Con and doing panels at a few conventions.

Derrick Ferguson: Anything else we should know?

Balogun Ojetade: I am always seeking to collaborate with other authors and artists, so if any readers want to work on something, they can reach me at Chroniclesofharriet@gmail.com. 

I also love doing cons, so if you are doing a con and need a panelist or a moderator, let me know that, too. Oh, and buy my books. Word on the street is, they’re pretty good.

For more information about Balogun Ojetade and his work, check out his blog Chronicles of Harriet

17 Months Later With...Percival Constantine

Percival Constantine stays so fargin’ busy that I could easily do an update interview with him every three months and he would always have some new project to inform us about. It’s taken me awhile to catch up with him to find out what he’s up to 17 MONTHS LATER…

Derrick Ferguson: How do you feel your career as a writer has grown in the past year?

Percival Constantine: I’ve gotten more serious about it, I think. I’ve started planning out a release schedule in advance and have that roughly set for the next two years or so and I make it a point to try to write every day. Although I still miss some days, I succeed more often than I fail, even on days when I feel like I won’t be able to get anything done.

DF: You’re somewhat unique in that you not only write; you design logos, format print books for a number of publishers and have done lettering work for comic books. Was this a deliberate career plan or did you just fall into these various creative arenas you operate in?

PC: It just sort of happened. Formatting, lettering, logo design, this all came about out of necessity. Someone had to do it. When I was putting together FALLEN for publication, I was a poor college graduate without the money to afford for formatting and Microsoft Word was just too frustrating to use. 

So I read a lot of guides and taught myself how to do it with InDesign. And while the first few books took days or even weeks to format, I eventually did enough of them and got to the point where now I can format a book in under an hour or so.

Lettering as well came about because of necessity. When I was putting together my first comic book project, I found an artist who could pencil and ink, but he couldn’t letter. So with the help of the fine folks over at NinjaLettering.com, I learned how to do it myself. And I was surprised to find out that not only could I do a pretty good job at it, but I enjoyed it, too. I then began applying for lettering positions and was able to make some extra cash doing those jobs. And logo design just grew out of the lettering work.

In this day and age, I think it’s important for authors—especially indies—to learn as much about the production process as humanly possible. For one, learning new skills is always a healthy thing. Two, you never know what you might be good at or enjoy doing until you try it. And three, it can save you a lot of money in the long run.

DF: Where do you see yourself in five years?

PC: Hopefully with a PhD or close to achieving one and able to make a living from my writing.

DF: Do you think you have found an audience? Or has your audience found you?

PC: I don’t think they have yet. But it’s building slowly, little by little.

DF: Tell us about your latest project.

PC: Right now I’m finishing up the first season of VANGUARD. It’s a superhero team in the vein of the X-Men and the Avengers, and I’m a huge fan of the Bronze Age comics. When I first discovered people were doing serialized prose stories through e-books, I thought it was a great idea and I felt like it would suit a number of concepts I had in mind which didn’t quite lend themselves to novels or novellas. Vanguard definitely falls in that camp. The serial format really lends itself to the types of comics I’ve always loved to read, the ones which are pretty much self-contained stories, but have overarching sub-plots that stretch out in the background. So I’m having a lot of fun with it.

The concept behind the series is that the world has changed through a mysterious occurrence called The Event. No one knows what it was or how it happened, but what we do know is that humanity has been changed on a genetic level. For the vast majority of the population, this mutation hasn’t resulted in any obvious change. But a small percentage have developed superhuman abilities as a result of it. The President sees the potential for problems and secretly authorizes the creation of Vanguard, a team of specials overseen by Colonel Leonard Thorne. It’s their job to police the specials who would threaten humanity.

The first season ends with the release of Vanguard #5: Rise of the Red Fist coming out on May 18th on Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. Soon, the episodes will be made available on all e-book retailers and I’m also going to release a compilation of the first season in print and digital formats, probably in the fall. I’m already in the middle of writing the second season and if all goes well, it will also debut in the fall.

Curse of the Necronomicon comes out on June 22nd, and this is the third book in THE MYTH HUNTER series. Elisa Hill is tasked with tracking down her former partner, Lucas Davalos, who disappeared while seeking out the Necronomicon. Of course, as is usually the case, things aren’t always as they seem and Elisa, Lucas, and Asami will soon find themselves hip-deep in a world of trouble.

Gentleman Rogue has a release date of July 20th and it’s the third book in the INFERNUM series. In this installment, a heist by a thief named Dalton Moore causes some losses for Infernum’s mysterious leader, Dante, and so he tracks down Dalton and offers him a choice—work for him on a job, or face the consequences. Dalton is paired with Dante’s right-hand woman, Tauna, and sent to retrieve a deadly biological weapon.

I’ve also got the third LUTHER CROSS story coming out from Pro Se Productions sometime in the near future, called Bloodlust. Some other work coming out through both Pro Se and Airship 27, but if I say anything more about that, Tommy Hancock and Ron Fortier might team up to do some unspeakable things to me.

DF: Hollywood calls and says that they’re going to give your $500 million and the director of your choice to adapt one of your books into a movie. What book do you choose and which director?

PC: Good question. I think I’d choose The Lost Continent, the first MYTH HUNTER book (and now free on all platforms). Now as for director, that’s tough. I might have to go with Joss Whedon or the Russo Brothers. Through “The Avengers” “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” those directors have clearly demonstrated that they understand the pulp mindset. They understand that these movies can be fun and don’t have to take themselves super-seriously. So I think they’d be wonderful to handle my work.

DF: Recommend a book, a movie and a TV show.

PC: I’m in the middle of reading Russ Anderson’s “Myth World” right now and really digging it. It’s a wonderful book that deserves more attention, so everyone head over to your e-book store of choice and buy it. For movie, I just saw “Avengers: Age of Ultron” and really dug it. I thought Joss Whedon and co. upped their game from the first film by a massive degree and it’s now my favorite Marvel film. And as for TV show, I’m really tempted to say “Daredevil” because it was just balls-out awesome, but I don’t want to seem like too much of a Marvel zombie. So instead, I’ll recommend “Sons of Anarchy”. The last season is finally on Netflix and I just started watching it.

Derrick Ferguson: Anything else we should know?

Percival Constantine: Both The Lost Continent and Love & Bullets are available for free on all platforms and if you go to percivalconstantine.com and enter your email address, you’ll get more free stuff.

Just In Case You Missed It The First Time Around...

...I was interviewed by the writer A.K. Kuykendall over at his blog The Kuykendall Post. You can find the interview HERE. Read, enjoy and thank you.

Kickin' The Willy Bobo With...TOBIAS CHRISTOPHER

Derrick Ferguson: Who is Tobias Christopher?

Tobias Christopher: Well, I born on the wagon of a traveling show, mama had to dance for the money they stole, papa would- oh, wait. Tobias Christopher is a writer, movie watcher and some would say slightly not all there. I kid, no one ever said slightly.

DF: Where do you live and what do you do to keep yourself in cheese and crackers?

TC: I live in Greenwood, Indiana and I currently work in the slave mines of Wal-Mart.

DF: What writers have influenced you?

TC: Mark Waid and Grant Morrison in terms of comics since they were the writers whose stories first really got me into the comic scene with the Flash and JLA. In terms of books, Stephen King and Mark Twain were huge influences, but a really special shout out goes Pat Frank, the writer of Alas, Babylon, who inadvertantly inspired my first foray into fanfiction during an English assignment in high school. We were tasked with writing an alternate ending to the story. Things got insanely dark (my teacher even commented that I might have taken things a bit far) and I started to realize where my passion for storytelling would take me.

DF: Let’s jump right into it: why Fan Fiction?

TC: Because whenever I watch a movie or TV show, or read a book, I almost always ask myself "What if this character did this? Or what kind of adventures would he/she have after this? Or what's that guy in the background's story?" I just love making up new adventures for characters I love, so fanfic just seemed like a natural fit.

DF: How long have you been involved with Fan Fiction?

TC: Officially, since around (how long was that RPG Erik, MC and I were part of? 12- 15 years?) I'm going to say at least 15 years. Unofficially it goes back to high school when I was taking horror movies characters and making up new adventures for the likes of Chucky, Gage Creed, Macauly Culkin's character in the Good Son, etc.

DF: Why should we be reading DC Anthology and Marvel Anthology?

TC: Because DCA offers a place for the pre-New 52 Universe to continue to grow and prosper, and without 99% of the darkness that the actual DC Comics were putting out there even before the New 52.

And MA I believe gives the characters a chance to grow more since we're not shoehorning Wolverine and Spider-Man into every title. The lesser known characters are given a chance to step forward, like Jamie Primas' recently ended Avengers run, which didn't rely on the big guns of the Marvel Universe.

DF: What is your favorite series you’re writing for DC Anthology and why?

TC: Of the two I'm writing for DCA, I'm going to say TEEN TITANS. I'm not very far into the run, but I am enjoying the interactions between certain characters. An upcoming issue (#12) made me realize how much I love having Static as part of the team, and I'm looking forward to telling all the stories I have planned for this group.

DF: What is your favorite series you’re writing for Marvel Anthology and why?

TC: While I love Captain America and Iceman, I'm going to go with ALPHA, the character no one seems to like. In the 10 issues I've written so far, I've grown to love this character like he was my own. Plus I have a huge love of Saturday Morning cartoons, which is a massive influence on how I'm writing this series, so writing Alpha is like writing my own SMC series

DF: Detractors of Fan Fiction claim that those who write it are wasting their time they could be using to write original stories. What’s your response to that?

TC: Haters gonna hate. But seriously, there's nothing saying you can't do both.  You can tell stories about your favorite characters and still make time to build your own universe with your own original characters. I make time to do both, but of course I have no real life to speak of.

DF: What’s the best advice you can give someone wanting to write DC and Marvel Fan Fiction?

TC: Don't be afraid to take chances with your characters, that's what fanfic is basically for. And don't just rely on the huge names, use your stories to help give life to the little guys that barely have any backstory.

DF: Are you more of a DC fan than Marvel? Or vice versa?

TC: I'm more of a Marvel fan these days. I've pretty much given up on DC, they've gotten WAY too dark and serious for my liking.

DF: What’s your opinion of DC and Marvel these days?

TC: I think Marvel still likes to have fun with its characters. I mean, Squirrel Girl and Howard the Duck have their own series now, if that doesn't scream 'fun', I don't know what does. As for DC, see my answer in the last question. They're way too dark and serious for me. A universe where guys dress up like bats to punch killer clowns, amazon women fly around with magic lassos, and an alien who can put on a pair of glasses and fool EVERYONE into thinking he's a completely different person shouldn't be steeped in realism in any way whatsoever. I think DC's missed the point of why people read comics.

DF: Is Fan Fiction a viable alternative for those readers dissatisfied with DC and Marvel?

TC: It depends on what you're looking for in fanfic, because there's an insane variety of stories out there. Not just DCA/DCO/MA/MO, but fanfiction.net and dozens of others.

DF: Why not just write original superhero fiction?  

   

TC: I actually have been for the last few years.

https://www.fictionpress.com/s/3024820/1/Omega-Guardians-Season-1

I'm currently writing the 4th season, although I am going back through and *remastering* the first three seasons to fix continuity errors and such.

DF: Do you yourself have any aspirations for writing professionally?

TC: I used to, and sometimes I still do, but for me writing's more of a hobby than anything. Maybe someday I'd like to get a book or two out. Lord knows I have plenty of original stories in me for that.

DF: What’s a typical Day In The Life of Tobias Christopher like?

TC: A lot more boring than most people would think. Wake up, get ready for work, work for 9 hours, come home, sleep, lather, rinse, repeat. Although there is the occassional murder attempt, but I just shrug those off and go on with my day like most people would.

Derrick Ferguson: Anything else we should know about Tobias Christopher?

Tobias Christopher: Well, Tobias Christopher is actually just my pen name, taken from a character from Animorphs (Tobias) and the first name of the actor who played him in the horrible live action t.v. series (Christopher). Beyond that, I know my style of writing isn't suited to everyone's taste, but I hope that those who do read my work do enjoy what they see and hopefully come back for more.

DC ANTHOLOGY

MARVEL ANTHOLOGY

Kickin The Willy Bobo With...BEX AARON

Derrick Ferguson: Who Is Bex Aaron?

Bex Aaron: That’s a great question! Bex Aaron is actually something of a chameleon – I’m a little bit of everything. A long time ago, when forced to describe myself, I came up with, “I’m a lover, a fighter, a poet, a dreamer, a dork and a smartass…not necessarily in that order.”

Basics: I’m a 32-year old divorcee, who’s completely satisfied with that status. I’m an NBA historian (I seriously know more trivia about NBA/ABA than most guys I know, and I can quote stats like a pro), a Clippers fan, a Buddhist, a rock star, a raging smartass, a Mac junkie, an unapologetic smoker, a bullying survivor, a perfectionist and a master of accents.

If I had my druthers, I’d be Canadian…and green eyed…and at least three inches taller. But I must say, I’ve made peace with myself for the most part. It’s taken me some time to get to this point, so it’s definitely worth heralding.

DF: Where do you live and what do you tell the IRS you do for a living?

BA: I live in Texas, deep in the very heart of it (clap, clap, clap). I’m not enthused about living here. I don’t think I ever have been. I long for colder weather and more progressive thinking.

As for my day job, I’m a legal assistant at a personal injury law firm. My job entails everything from client intakes, setting up insurance claims, gathering medicals, preparing demand packages, negotiating settlements and finalizing cases. It’s riveting stuff. Oh, and the phone never stops ringing. It is a very stimulating environment – there’s never a dull moment, but at times, it can be very stressful, I won’t lie. The key, at least for me, is to take a moment to breathe and to remind myself that (in the words of my boss), that never-ending to-do list is job security!

DF: Tell us a little something about your background.

BA: I’m the only child of a single mother. We were kind of like The Gilmore Girls. I had the cool mom, the mom who not only allowed me to dye my hair pink at 14, she also did the back because I couldn’t reach it! She is still my most steadfast supporter and biggest fan. I’m everything I am today because of my mom, and I’m not ashamed to admit it. My mom was the very epitome of what a mother is supposed to be – absolutely nothing ever came ahead of me, and that’s the mother that I someday strive to be.

My life hasn’t really been that interesting. I dropped out of school in 9th grade, went back and got a GED at age 19, got married sometime in my twenties, realized what a profound mistake that was, subsequently divorced and started my life all over. The past few years have been the most turbulent of my life, but they also taught me a lot about myself, and I’ve come out much stronger on the other side of them…which, I guess, is the most anyone can hope for.

DF: What’s your philosophy of writing?

BA: I find that writing is a form of therapy. It’s a way to release some of your pent up tensions, it’s a way to lose yourself in someone else’s misery for a while…it’s very therapeutic. At the same time, though, it can also be very heart-wrenching. I am the writer that gets far too attached to their characters. I talk about them like they’re real people, and I hate the idea of them suffering…which is really ironic, given that I wrote the most miserable group of people you can imagine.

DF: Do you write for yourself or for the readers?

BA: Probably a little bit of both. I write to be read, absolutely, but I also write because I love these crazy people and this crazy world I’ve created. I think the validation trap is so easy to fall into when you are in this position. For me, personally, I’m far more about feedback than sales. I have given away more books than I’ve ever sold, in the hopes that it would generate readership and feedback. I’m a slave to it, which is a double-edged sword. The positive feedback is a great rush, and a wonderful confidence boost…and the sounds of silence devastate me.

DF: Are you interested in critics or criticism?

BA: Yes, as long as they are actually making a valid point. Those that criticize only to bring someone else down hold no merit to me. The best critics can balance positive with negative, and offer suggestions for improvement, rather than a laundry list of everything that they hate about your books. I immediately discount anyone that has nothing but negative things to say. There’s just not room in my life for negativity for the mere sake of it. Not anymore.

DF: What audience are you trying to reach with your work? Is there an audience for Bex Aaron?

BA: I’d like to reach fans of small town suspense, gripping human drama and lots of layered storytelling. Daytime or primetime soap fans. Those that enjoy a book where there are no easy answers, nor are there any happy endings. Someone who wants to immerse themselves in the messy, unraveling lives of characters that any of us could know. That sort of thing.

Is there any audience for me? Well…I’d sure like to think so. I have found a nice little core of people, who interact with me through my book’s FB page (http://facebook.com/havenpark), so I know there are people out there actually reading these books. I know that audience could always grow, though, and I certainly hope that it does!

DF: How important is it to follow your instincts while writing?

BA: Very important. My best advice to any writer is to know your characters inside and out. Work on your characterization until they feel like real people. I’ve always found that if you invest in them, it pays off. They sort of take over after a while. I’ve learned over time that my characters are much smarter than I am, and that if I just shut up and let them talk, the end result is much more satisfying. This is why I’m not really strict with outlines. I never used to do outlines at all, but I figured if I’m trying to plot a mystery series, it might be in my best interest to have some idea of how I’m going to go about it. Still, I always allow for the characters to improvise. It’s more enjoyable that way and feels more authentic to me…even if it makes the backseat driver in my own novel at times!

DF: Give us an overview of INDEPENDENCE DAY.

BA: INDEPENDENCE DAY is the story of a series of murders taking place in the overheated summer of 1966. Haven Park, Wyoming (fifteen miles east of Laramie) is the perfect picture of Americana. Violent crime doesn’t exist there. Everyone knows everyone else, and there’s a real community atmosphere…but there are also secrets that come to light one by one as more and more people end up dead.

DF: While reading Book One I couldn’t help but think that INDEPENDENCE DAY falls into a genre I like to call The Little Town With Big Secrets Genre. It starts out like “Twin Peaks” what with a surprising and horrifying murder that shocks the entire town. Then we move into “Peyton Place” territory. Are you a fan of soap operas?

BA: First of all, thank you for noticing! I always feel gratified when someone “gets it”, and you totally nailed it! J

I grew up watching soap operas. As I said, my mom was the “cool mom”, so I had my own TV, with no restrictions on what I could watch…of course, we didn’t have cable, so I couldn’t run across anything too risqué. Still, I spent my days watching soap operas and cooking shows, when I was about four or five years old. Funny thing, I can’t cook at all…but that soap opera influence has never left my writing, even after I gave up on the dismal soap genre.

What I strived to do with this book series was emulate a classic soap opera called “The Edge of Night.” For those unfamiliar with daytime, this was a series that premiered in the 1950s, and in the beginning, it was designed to be a daytime version of Perry Mason. It had the elements of mystery and classic soap drama mixed together, and that’s what I was hoping for here.

Now, when I say “classic soap drama”, I do wish to clarify that I do not mean camp, over-the-top antics like one might expect from today’s soap operas. I mean the character-driven human drama that used to be a staple of daytime television. Forbidden love, dark secrets – this sort of thing. I want to make abundantly clear that once someone dies in Haven Park, they stay that way! And nobody has an evil twin! J

DF: Is Haven Park entirely in your imagination or is it a version of someplace you grew up or once lived?

BA: It’s all my imagination, really. I grew up in a fairly small town, but nowhere near that small. I have, however, incorporated elements of my own life into the town. For instance, the church. I grew up in a Baptist church that was not unlike the one depicted in the book. The congregation largely consisted of elderly ladies who liked to backbite and talk about everyone else. There wasn’t much room for progression or change, and unfortunately, they didn’t have a pastor like Brett, who actually wanted to buck tradition and try something new. I quit going there years ago, but I suspect that it’s much the same way I left it. Cycles like that keep repeating themselves, I’ve found.

DF: INDEPENDENCE DAY is a five part story. Why five parts?  Why not write just one huge Stephen King sized doorstop of a book?

BA: INDEPENDENCE DAY actually has roots in webfiction – which, for those initiated, is a genre where one creates a website and serializes their novel, releasing one chapter at a time. The story was originally divided into arcs, consisting of ten chapters an interlude (or, as was the case of arc one, one prologue, ten chapters and two interludes).

I made the decision to remarket the story as a book series in 2011, after trying the webfiction route with little success for two years. At that time, I had two arcs completed and was laboring over the third. I decided to go ahead and release what I had at the time, and the arcs became the books.

The plan is once the story has wrapped up, I’m going to release the complete series as one humongous book, with paperbacks and electronic versions available. I have no idea how big those damned things will be, though, because this is going to be one long story.

DF: Once INDEPENDENCE DAY is done do you plan to do anything else with Haven Park and it’s good citizens?

BA: Absolutely, because I have one hell of a time letting go. My plan was originally do a prequel, but I’ve since scrapped that one. I am planning a sequel now, set 30 years later, in the summer of 1996. It would highlight the characters left standing, and how their lives have changed in the years that have passed. It’s in the very early planning stages, so I can’t really say too much about it, but I think it will be an interesting look at the characters we’ve established in a new, more jaded and even more miserable light…which, of course, is what I’m known for, so it should be fun!

DF: Anything else you’re working on that we should know about?

BA: At this time, no. I tend to be a writer that has a one-track mind. I wish I could work on multiple projects at one time, but I always feel disloyal to them when I do that. I just don’t possess that type of focus…perhaps this is why I just want one child, because I would never want to shaft either of my children because Mommy isn’t good at multi-tasking!

DF: What are your future plans for your writing career?

BA: I want to write as long as the inspiration as there and there are people still willing to read my stories. I’d love to eventually hit it big and see big screen adaptations of my novels – don’t we all want that? I try to be realistic, though. I just want to reach a few people. I want to provide them an escape, a world they can get lost in, and a way to forget about their own lives for a little while. If I can accomplish that, I’ve succeeded.

Derrick Ferguson: What’s A Typical Day In The Life Of Bex Aaron like?

Bex Aaron: Weekdays: Wake up, have coffee, smoke, get dressed, go to work, lose my mind in small increments over the course of the day, come home, unwind and settle into bed with my phone and Netflix. I’m not much of a partier. I’m a very boring old woman, actually…but I like my life, and that’s what counts.

Weekends: Wake up, have coffee, smoke, repeat, listen to Mmmbop (seriously, that is what I’m listening to as I type this), spend time with my mom and labor over my writing. I used to be able to knock out a chapter a weekend, but not so much these days. I need to get back into the habit, especially given that I have a deadline to meet! INDEPENDENCE DAY: Book Four, Dirty Little Secret, is coming on May 1.

Did you see how subtly I snuck that plug in there? I’m so awesome at marketing, as you know. Slick as all hell, I am! J

BEX AARON'S AMAZON PAGE