On music that finds you and the friends that make it

I’m not sure I believe in fate, the big version at least. That all things are fated to be as they are? I don’t buy it. If free will is just a ruse so that everything plays out according to someone else’s master plan, than what the hell is the point anyway? We might as well not make any choices and just let it ride. But we don’t so our own choices have to amount to something right?

But I do believe in the fate of small things, small moments. I don’t think fate can work on the grand scale all the time. But it can work small minor miracles that make us take stock and really think about it, connections, the grander scale, the bigger picture.

Yesterday I experienced one of those moments.

I go through cycles where I ignore my personal emails and some, if not most of the email newsletters I signed up for, even if they are from writers and people I admire. I tell myself it’s because I don’t have the time, but really its because I don’t want to expend the effort to connect with what that person is trying to say.

I could’ve ignored the @Whereverwriter email post. But I didn’t. I have to admit her lede spoke to me. She got me with Free Gift to You! So I clicked and read. I was surprised to find that someone who’s writing I admired so much was also a gifted musician.

I clicked on her link to her EP and from the first song I cried tears of joy. It was so beautiful. Her voice was stunning and the words gave me goose bumps. I listened to the EP alternating between giddy joy and joyful tears because someone I consider a friend made something so awe-inspiring.

Then I got to The Bridge.

It’s like her words were destined to find me.

I’ve talked about it some on this blog and on my other blog Ukiah’s Heart but I’ve been struggling with depression pretty hard on and off for years. After my son died, I went through a tail spin. Recently I’ve gone through another. It’s the reason I haven’t written on this blog for quite awhile. Composing my thoughts can be downright impossible when I can barely see the forest for the trees.

Sometimes I’m able to dig myself out of a tailspin okay. Lately I haven’t. I finally had to admit to everyone I loved that I needed help. I’m getting help. I’ve had several people tell me variations of what was in Amy’s song for months now, but this time it connected. I mean, really connected.

I wept. I listened to it again and I wept some more.  I kept listening and kept crying. Finally, somewhere between the fourth of fifth listen, the tears stopped, but the connection didn’t.

I needed this song and it found me and now I won’t let it go. One of fate's small little miracle's I guess. It could be argued that I would've found this eventually, that it still would of made an impact. Which is probably true. I try to connect to her site at least once a month to get caught up on what I'm missing in her life. But I could also argue that if I had found it any other time, it maybe wouldn't have resonated as deeply as it had. We're chalking this one up to fate, and Amy's generosity for now.

There are few greater pleasures in this world than when you connect with a piece of writing, music or art. It’s a thing of wonder and pure joy and a person I call my friend gave me that connection. Words can’t express what a gift that is.

So I’m trying to give one back. Listen to this album. Please, if you have a few spare bucks, download it and send that money her way, so that way she sees a few monetary fruits of her incredible endeavors. If you are on social media, link or tweet her album that way it might bring someone else the joy and the connections I received.

Amy your writing and your music mean something because they meant something to me. Don’t ever doubt that. When you finally release your ebook, consider me ground central for your promotions. I’ll be singing your praises for years to come. Thank you.

My #PitchWars Bio

What should I say about me that hasn’t been said already?  I’m a bad picture taker (you knew that). I frequently ramble about nonsensical and pop-culture things (you knew that too, just check my archives). I’m frequently sleep deprived and someone is ALWAYS interrupting my dreams (I still haven’t reached the exciting conclusion to my Logan Marshall Green Vs. a Viking dream. Come back dream, come back!)

A thing that you probably don’t know about me. I wrote a book that I’d really (really, really) like to get published, which is why I’m trying this #PitchWars thing out. A thing you should know about me is what inspired the story and what my going motivation is for getting it published and out into the world.

Well, there are two motivations really. The first is my son. He was born on April 15th, 2008. He died, in our arms, at home April 5th, 2010. He’s the inspiration behind the story. I saw him and so many kids like him in the NICU just like him fight invisible monsters on a continual basis. I saw all these incredible little differences in all these incredible babies and they changed me.

I’m not just a mom, I’m a full-fledged momma bear with the world’s sharpest claws and the fiercest love. I’m not just a momma bear to my two kids but to all the kids. And I mean all of the kids. I don’t care if you’re a grown-ass adult with your own mortgage and your own kids. If you want a mother to utter the words “I love you” just so you feel some motherly love in your life, well I’m the person for the job. Need some right now? Fine. I love you! Need a little more? Okay. I love you. Done. My son taught me that we all have an infinite bottomless well of love to give. I not tap into mine and give out freely.

I’m also a mom that loves freely and openly and most importantly, happily. I know how to laugh and enjoy things things with an open heart in ways I could have never imagined. My daughter taught me how to do that because she is not afraid to be who she is. That’s a hard lesson I’m trying to learn.

It means I have to not be afraid to be who I am and go after the things I want, and that’s to be writer and to share my son’s story and the journey he took us all on and sharing how he continues to affect my life.

So, enough about me. What about the book? The book is called The Broken and I've been known to say that it's part sci-fi (although paranormal or magical realism might be more apt), part auto-biography. It's YA because  I'm targeting kids who were in my son's same position. All of my son's victories and a lot of his defeats are in the pages of this book. It's about growing up to find out you are a lot stronger than you think you are, that you're not just a diagnosis or a disability or all of the unkind things the people around you say that you are. It's about finding a voice and finding out that its strong.

I look forward to meeting all the mentors and fellow writers and everyone whose embarking on this year’s #PitchWars journey.

Book Review: Love at First Date

I’m not sure this actually counts as a book review since Love at First Date feels more novella length than anything and it was such a breezy read, but since I’m still on the hook for my May book review, here goes. 

Love at First Date follows Ellen, a customer support representative trying to find love in Sacramento but in the most regimented of ways, using a detailed dating service. It’s not until she starts finally going out on dates with the people she’s met through her profile that she meets her real match blindly through some twist of luck (or if you’d rather, a dog she’s watching and a clogged hair brush).

Henry, the man who helps save her best friend’s dog and whose eyes she can’t stop looking into is all she can think about. Although she wishes she could stop. She tries busying herself with men she’s met from her dating profile because she’s convinced they meet her compatibility markers and if there’s one thing she’s learned from her mother, it’s that marriages don’t work without finding common ground.

Love at First Date is an enjoyable bit of fluff and a very quick read, but it isn’t all fluff. This book has a lot on its mind, or rather, the protagonist has a lot on hers, like how she’s supposed to make it work with a man when her mother, who was married twice before and couldn’t even make it work with Ellen’s birth father long enough to get married. Can she really find what and who she wants when she sees all of her mother’s old mistakes?

 There’s a lot of interpersonal relationships at play here too. Can she find love, be allowed to find it, when her friends have interpersonal lives falling apart? Will there meddling help or hurt? And can Ellen finally get out of her own way to see what’s in front of her?

I not only enjoyed reading how all those questions got answered, but how they were posed in the first place. Susan Hatler does a great job of really getting you right in the character’s head, showing you exactly what makes her tick and just what kind of neuroses are really at play.

 Love At First Date is an enjoyable fast-paced read and well worth your time. It’s an A.

Book Review: The Devil and Preston Black

My childhood home was pretty deceptive looking. On the outside it looked like a mobile home, but it had an addition built on to it, a massive den the size of the two bedrooms combined. This was everyone's sanctuary, with mom's sewing table in a corner, dad's massive pile of books in another and a card table that served as my arts and crafts table in later years but served as a gaming or puzzle table pretty much all the time.

At the far wall was the big built-in entertainment center, The TV sat high center, with all of the electronics on a shelf above it. On the shelf below the TV sat all the musical equipment, a reciever, a tape deck, in later years, a CD player and on top of all that, the record player. On either end were massive shelves filled to the brim with vinyl. I spent a good chunk listening to it, all of it. I had my favorites of course, guilty pleasures too, but I tried to take it all in. In the intervening years I'm still not sure I scratched the surface (Ha, see what I did there!) of the collection. But I loved all of it and am suddenly sad I didn't spend more time at the alter of the player. I probably would have had I not damaged the needle when I was eleven, which took my parents entirely too long to get fixed.

The Devil and Preston Black  is exactly what the title says it is. It's a book about Preston Black, a down-on-his-luck musician just trying to find his way and having to fight the devil to do it. It's about wayward rock idols, old music, ways of life on the verge of extinction and the character trying to figure out who he is when his entire history was a blank page. It's about music giving a life meaning when that life can't find the meaning on his own.

If Hellbender was my childhood diner, then  The Devil and Preston Black is the den of my childhood home, filled with scratched vinyl  and tuneful music both new and old. I haven't been this at home in a book in a long time, if you consider a place where the main character has very philosophical text conversations with Joe Strummer, argues with John Lennon and where Jerry Garcia's death bed felt quaint home, which I do.

But the book isn't just filled with musicians no longer with us, it's filled to the brim with music, so lively and fluid it came right off the page. I got into a twitter discussion with Jason Jack Miller where he mentioned that he was worried that the sections in which he described the music being played were too tedious, but to me they were some of the best parts because I was transported into the music. I haven't been able to read sheet music since around ninth grade and the talking about chord progressions wasn't something  I understood, but it's something I felt. I could feel how the music was taking place around him, how it progressed and shifted and was shaped while the characters were playing it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I'm probably gonna run right out and by The Revelations of Preston Black just to be a completist (Sshhhh! Don't tell my husband). I'm giving this one an A+. It invoked my parents record collection for crying out loud. Any book that can do that gets an A+.

Coming full circle at Run Because You Can

It's been about two weeks give or take a few days and I still can't find my other running shoe. I've come up with some really good theories (some involving aliens, the other involving the same monster that steals one sock but leaves you the other) about where Larry the lefty had gone, but the shoe itself? No dice. Larry has just disappeared, no ransom note, no suicide letter, nothing. Just poof it was gone. I asked Ralphy, his partner of 2 and half years if he'd like me to file a missing shoeson's report, but Ralphy politely demurred.

Larry the Lefty's disappearance, while it hadn't surprised me per say (like nobody's lost half of a pair or shoes before. Come on, that happens to everybody, doesn't it? Doesn't it?), it had me more than a little frazzled because at the time of Larry's disappearance, Run Because You Can was only a week away.

The Runnin' for Rhett Foundation's Run Because You Can was my first 5k race last year, and it still stands out as my favorite. I've done a handful since, and this one it by far the best organized, most well laid out race, and the most fun I've had. And all the proceeds go to benefit a scholarship fund and youth fitness outreach program. Plus, the organizers of the event had a very similar story to my own.

The had a son with Cerebral Palsy who couldn't walk who passed away far too soon. We had a son with Cerebral Palsy who couldn't walk who passed away far too soon. Their story and what they've done after he passed are completely inspirational to me, and I told myself after the first race that there was no way I was missing this one.

via

So, there we were at Crocker Park, a year later, a cold and blustery November morning, me in my understudy pumas that I'd have to make due with in terms of footwear (RIP Larry), my husband in shorts he clearly hadn't thought through, having driven the hour and a half from Livermore to Sacramento, waiting in the 5k start line when I had a little moment.

Before I explain this little moment, note that there's usually no shortage of driving forces and things to motivate me at Runnin' for Rhett's Run Because You Can. They have a Bagpiper on the course for crying out loud. A Bagpiper in full dress, kilt and all, that this year, looked like he was freezing his you-know-whats off but a Bagpiper nonetheless. That bagpiper fills me with glee ya'll. It makes me happy and keeps me running. And there was a Marching band! And a Glee Club performing on the side! There was no shortage of entertainment to be had on the course.

And there's usually all sorts of inspiration that Runnin' for Rhett provides off the course as well. Just watch this video of Aiden, a kid with Cerebral Palsy, finishing his first 5k, or watch this other one with Dawson, who's not allowed to do a lot of strenuous activity because of a heart condition, complete the race with his dad carrying him on his back. I keep those guys in my head every time I run because if they can do it, so can I.

But my little moment before the race was a bit different. A mom and her son were standing next to us. The son had a neon yellow t-shirt on, which had been hand decorated. On the front it said Runnin' for Rhett Survivor and it had a ribbon pin painted on it. On the back it said "Kids get Strokes too" "Survivor".
I desperately wanted to know his story and to tell him how proud I was of him to be running. But things progressed too quickly and I couldn't.

Randy Seevers, his wife  Beth, a TV anchor and the woman getting the scholarship fund took to a raised platform at the starter's gate. Randy mentioned all the great work the charity was doing, his wife talked about their son and how we were all running because he couldn't, the scholarship got handed off and the National Anthem got sung. Before we knew it, the starter pistol had been fired and we were off.

It was mayhem the first half mile. One of the awesome things this race does is promote running and staying active in elementary schools and all of the district's schools had racers. The year before, all the schools started after the 5k and 10k racers, but this year, somebody didn't do a good job of separating the kids in the schools from the rest of the racers, so not only did we have to navigate our way through the other racers, but we also had to navigate around throngs of kids as well.

It wasn't a huge issue, and it was something I was well aware of. Last year an eleven-year-old paced me, then stopped, then paced me again, three separate times, the little rapscallion, but this year it was a little bit more unwieldy, and I hope they do a better job about separating out the youth running from the 5k and 10k race in the future.

About a mile and half I felt myself wanting to back way off. It wasn't a wall per say. It was the blerch. It was that little thing in the back of my head telling me I could stop and eat cake and watch a marathon of Game of Thrones episodes or do anything else than run. Then I looked ahead of me and about a quarter mile ahead was the kid in the yellow shirt, and he and his mom were booking. That was the motivation I needed and I started booking too. Then, with about a half mile to go, we hit a hill, and a head wind, and I took a moment and stopped, much to my husband's chagrin, but then I spotted it again, further ahead and about to turn the corner to the finish line, that little yellow shirt.

He made me happy to be racing, he was one of the reasons I was racing after all, for him, for Rhett, for Aiden, for Dawson, for Ukiah, for Ukiah most of all I think, for my daughter, but also for me.

That woman with a look of death in her eyes? It's me!
Found Via

I rounded the corner and tried to give it more gas. I spotted Randy Seevers sitting on the curb right by the finish line and I beamed. He had to have been the busiest man there. The only person busier is the Runnin' for Rhett Gorilla (they have a gorilla mascot that runs the race, cheering people on. It doesn't top the bagpiper in terms of sheer mirth making, but it gets close). I saw him do everything he could for that race that day, talking to the racers, shaking hands, at the start line, at the finish line. It was incredible.

The finisher's Metal! Via

Once we got across the finish line, we were given finishing metals, which were really awesome and beautiful. My husband said he looked up at the time clock and he said we came in at 31:13. My jaw dropped. When I run by myself, I think the best time I've clocked is 33:34, if I'm lucky.  This time I set down was a testament to my husband and to that little kid in the yellow shirt who I wanted to see again.

As soon as we were done, we grabbed water and some fruit from the line. My father-in-law had come with us to watch my boisterous 2-year-old daughter and so my husband had me stay close to the food booth (Let's be honest, he parked me by the garbage can) while he went in search of them.

While he was gone, parked right in front of me were the kid in the yellow shirt, his mom, and a throng of supporters. I wanted to tell him everything, how I wanted to hear his story, how I was so proud of him for running, and running faster than me, how he was my motivation a big portion of the race. But there wasn't time for that. Instead, I went up to him, told him he did a great job and gave him a thumbs up. To him, I'm probably some weird lady who was just on the course. But to me, he was everything that day.

And that's why I love this race. Among the many things it does, it gives kids like him a platform to say they are more than just a diagnosis, that they are strong and amazing. Any nitpicks I have about the race are hearsay when giving kids with special needs a voice happens to be that race's legacy. Run Because You Can and never stop. And you know, try not to lose a running shoe a week before the race.

ETA: The Mom of the amazing kid I spotted at Run Because You Can found me and wrote to me in the comments. Her entire family sounds incredible but that boy even more so. He suffers from Bow Hunter's Syndrome which causes pediatric strokes in children. He's had an uphill battle to fight. The doctors said he might never walk again, and he ran that race and beat my time by a lot! He's my hero and so is his family.

Book Review: Joe Vampire: Afterlife

I've always subscribed to the notion that books are friends, and when you revisit a book, you're just catching up with a friend. Sometimes said books contain sarcastic funny friends who I enjoy spending oodles of time with no matter how messy or complicated their lives become. And so it is with the titular Joe Vampire. I enjoyed my time with him so much in the first book that I went right out and grabbed the next one; Joe Vampire: Afterlife. And Joe, I'm happy to report, is still the sarcastic friend I'm happy to spend all of my free time with, no matter how messy his life gets.

As with the first book, this book is a series of blog entries written from the perspective of a vampire just trying to make his way in the world and figure out to live while being undead. As in the first book, our narrator is still as sarcastic and obsessed with lists and bullet points as ever. But unlike the first book its not his life that is messy and that he's trying to make sense of, it's his best friend's, Hube. This book, like any good sequel should, gives our Joe Vampire room to grow up, even though he'll never age. He still has issues. He has a woman in his life who he's trying to make happy, real problems to consider like trying to start a family, and adult crap to take care of like jobs and promotions and hiring of new employees.

And the book doesn't pull any punches when it comes to explaining what it takes to make it all work, human or vampire. The relationships are full and lived in in just about every regard. Joe and Chloe work through being a couple and trying to start a family in the most realistic manner possible. Even Joe's family feels more alive and rounded out than they had in the first book much to my pleasant surprise.

Where the book thrives is when it is examining not just family or love relationships but the depths of friendship, how far you'll go and what you'll do to protect that friendship even if the other person isn't willing to. This book is a testament to how limitless a good friendship can be and if its right, could morph into a brotherhood with ties that never break no matter how hard and long they are tested. The Hube/Joe relationship that was tested in the first book gets center stage in this book, as it should. Also, the roles between the two have been reversed in this one. Hube was the emotional anchor Joe needed when he was floating out to sea. In this one, Joe had to be the beacon of light Hube used to find his way home in the dark, which had mixed to results to say the very least. To see the roles reversed and the friendship changed and reshaped is where the real strength of the book can be found.

The only downside to this book for me is that two of my favorite characters didn't get the airtime I feel they deserved. Louise, ever Joe's compass didn't have much to do in this book. Sure the parts I did get to enjoy were pure Louise through and through,  but I didn't get as much time to sit with her and enjoy her as I did in the first book. I'd say Bo, the computer guru/furniture builder extraordinaire/awesome redneck also suffered the same fate of playing second fiddle as Louise did. For the first half of the book, he only mentioned and the second half only gave him a few scene, one was very serious and the other was the most somber and sad. I  need my Bo to be sarcastic and a smart ass and I needed more of him damnit.

But those are only minor complaints and not ones worth remedying anyway. I think if there had been more emphasis on these two, it would have been at the expense of Joe's relationships to Chloe and Hube, so I'll allow it. But Steven, if your listening, give Bo and Louise more to do in the next one. Perhaps have them put together a podcast called the Louise and Bo Show? That way comedy genius lies! Come on Steven, what do you say? (Now I'm tempted to write a fanfic piece in which Bo and Louise to do just that.)

To sum up, Joe Vampire: Afterlife is a fun continuation in the Joe Vampire series and well worth the read. A-

Review: Alonzo King LINES Ballet

Sometimes, you witness something so stunning your mind can't fully process what it is that you just saw. Two days after the performance of Alonzo King LINES Ballet at the Bankhead Theatre, and I'm still having trouble putting into words what I saw, heard, and felt.

First let's start with what I heard which might have been some of the most aurally complex, moving, disturbing, grabbing pieces of music I've ever heard. There was not a merch booth at this performance, but if there was, I would've gone straight up to it during the intermission on bought every single piece of music they had available. It's strange and enticing but it also keeps you at a distance, just complex enough to be affecting.  But the interesting part of these performances wasn't just the music but the silences. Sometimes the dancers would dance in the silence between pieces and that silence made the movement and the music that followed that much more compelling.

And the performances: Oh God, the exquisite beautiful performance. Each one of those dancers was a marvel of the human body's capability to move. I saw such lines and movements in these pieces that I never knew the human body was allowed to make, let alone  allowed to do over and over again to make new and unusual and complex shapes. This ballet above all else was about the limitlessness of the human body, because the dancers had to be limitless to meet the demands of this piece.

And that probably wasn't the intention, but that's what strikes me most about what I witnessed.

But that it not to diminish some of the themes and ideas behind the choreography. Because there was so much at play, at least in my mind. There was this awesome piece where a dancer is dancing in the foreground but three or four dancers are slowly making their way from one side of the stage to the other and one dancer is being held at the legs as she wheelbarrows her way to the other side. She fights and struggles against the person helping her/holding her back and it was as profound a piece of choreography as what the dancer in the foreground was doing. 

And that wasn't the only time that this idea came back to me as one of the themes of the piece. There was this profound moving piece at the end of the first act that I can only describe as what would happen if Mia Micheal's Addiction piece married Travis Wall's Fix You dance and the two had a meandering child. The piece focused on a woman and there were four male dancers around her the whole time and much of the piece was spent in an odd tug of war. They'd help in one sweeping move and then hold her back in the next and she in turn would caress them in one movement and fight against them the next and it was so damned beautiful that I had to watch the whole thing through streaming tears. I gasped more times in that piece than I've gasped at anything in my life, and yes, I did just watch the last episode of Breaking Bad. I still stand behind that statement.

But that's not to say that some of the pieces don't get muddled. There was a piece involving paper in about the middle of the second act that felt muddled to me, or that the point was so clear as to be contrived. I felt as if the paper one dancer was throwing about probably symbolized money and he was trying to throw it around to gain leverage on the lead girl/the other dancers in the piece and about halfway through it worked, but then the girl rises above it, and in the end, the dancer is left collecting all the discarded paper around him and just something about it, the obviousness of it, left me cold.

But that was pretty much the only low spot, and it wasn't every low at all. Overall, this was incredible, and if you get the chance to see them perform in any way, shape or form, do it. Do it in a heartbeat. A-

Movie Review: Greetings from Tim Buckley

So yesterday was my birthday (thanks for all the birthday wishes ya'll) and because I'd already celebrated it with my husband over the weekend by going to an actual theater for once to see real live performance (Gilbert and Sullivan's Iolanthe, for those of you curious, and instead of creating another review of that performance, I'll just say it was an entertaining piece of cotton candy, fluffy and fun and forgettable once it was over) we decided not to go out on my actual birthday and instead stayed in and just for funsies, he let me pick the movie. I usually get the privilege revoked on account of some of my more horrible movie choices I've made in the past but since it was my birthday, he relented and let me pick.

So I picked Greetings from Tim Buckley. Now before I get started, let me just say I know only the sparsest bits of information on both singer songwriters featured in the movie. I never followed either of them musically and I only knew that Tim had a son named Jeff and they were both into music and their lives were both cut way too short.

After watching Greetings from Tim Buckley, I knew about the same as I did when I started. The movie gave me no insights into either of them and told only the thinnest of stories in the most meandering ways. It still had its own beauty (that beautiful scene of Imogen Poots singing) and was a perfect platform for the music in which it lovingly featured, but it didn't do much else but leave me with a lot of questions that only a scouring of Jeff Buckley's Wikipedia page actually helped answer.

I was worried that maybe not being a Jeff Buckley enthusiast, I didn't get or understand the movie, but then I remembered the review from My New Plaid Pants (a beautiful, well written review, as @JAMNPP reviews often are and one of the reasons he's pop culture co-pilot) and I realized that it also left Jeff Buckley fans as out in the cold as it left me, which at least left me validated but confused in regards to what the film maker was trying to accomplish. The way the two stories of father and son were inter-weaved was distracting and pointless. And really, I think the story should have been about Jeff and how he made a peace with his father or revisited his father's work and life and less about his father's douche-baggery. I get that there's probably a lot more to his father's story as well and I am interested, but separately not together, especially if it accomplishes nothing.

Overall, a beautiful movie going nowhere. B-

Reblog: Rob Pruneda's 4 silly questions interview

[Ed. Note: My good twitter friend Rob Pruneda participated in my birthday challenge by posting a link on twitter, so he gets a free post on my blog. He asked me to repost the interview he did with me a few months back. So here you go. Thanks Rob for participating in my Birthday Challenge. ]

After reading Rob Pruneda's Pursuit of a Dream, I asked the author nicely if he'd allow me to briefly interview him. He was more than willing to answer my questions and had some insightful and wonderful answers, about his book, the state of publishing in general, and,  most importantly, who his favorite Goonie is. These are important questions people! Take a second to read  his interview and then take a couple more to check out his blog, or buy his books! Thanks for doing this Rob!

Question 1: Settle an internal debate for me. As an author who is trying to get published, or self-publish, I'm currently in a battle with myself about what to do. Weigh in on the debate: Try to get published or self-publish, which side do you come down on? (Oooooh, I just got all controversial!)

This is a debate that will likely go on for light years to come. When you make the decision to write your first novel it’s inevitable to hit that fork in the road with one sign reading “Traditional Publishing” and the other reading “Self-Publishing”. I think making the decision as to which road to take is dependent on the writer’s goals and personal preferences. For me, I decided to self-publish both novels that are currently available. I published my first novel Pursuit of a Dream as more of a challenge to myself to complete a personal goal of publishing a novel. It’s a novel that I have given royalties away to charity and now give away for free on a few platforms for readers to get a glimpse of my style of writing, particularly the dialogue, which many readers have stated as my strong point.

There are a few reasons why I decided to stick with self-publishing when I wrote my second novel (and first horror) Devil’s Nightmare. First of all, I like being able to have complete control of the publishing process. I like the idea of being able to set my own prices, write from my heart, and be involved in every stage of the publishing process. Now, one misconception about self-publishing is that you are all alone in the process. The smart thing to do is get as many other people involved in the process as you can. So, self-publishing is still a team effort. You, the author, are responsible for telling the story, but you have many options out there to assist you in fine-tuning your work of art. You have alpha and beta readers, proofreaders, editors, formatting specialists, cover artists, and marketing assistance if you choose to go that route. You have the choice to put as little or as much money into publishing your novel as you choose. You also don’t need to spend a fortune on any of it. Many of it can be done at little or no cost to you.

There are pros and cons of both self-publishing and traditional publishing, but those battles have been fought all over the web, so I won’t try to weigh them out here. I can only provide my personal preference and my reasons for choosing to go the indie route. It is a lot of work. That’s the most important thing I must point out if you decide to self-publish your work. I actually enjoy the lengthy and challenging process of getting my novels published independently. When I hold that physical copy of the novel I wrote in my hand it is a very rewarding experience because of all of the hard work I put into it, even more so than royalties; although, royalties are definitely a nice perk that comes along with publishing when I manage to sell a few copies.

At this point I have no reason to seek traditional publishing, but if the right opportunity surfaced, then I would be open to traveling down that road. 

Question 2: Did you have a favorite character to write/read when you’re rereading/reviewing Pursuit of a Dream? I haven't read Devil's Nightmare yet, but did you have a favorite character you liked writing/reading more than others? And if so why? In terms of Pursuit of a Dream, I especially enjoyed reading about Brian, and was wondering if you had the same reaction, or if you were drawn to other characters instead.

I think Caleb Lockhardt was my favorite character to write. He resonates with me because his dream of becoming a professional stock car driver against all odds is something that I believe many people can relate to, myself included. As an author, my ultimate dream is to be able to write full-time for a living, so writing about Caleb’s pursuit of his own dream is almost like writing about me in a sense. Caleb is a fictional character, of course, and he has his own unique traits and story, but there is definitely a bit of me in him, which is why I enjoy writing Caleb’s character the most.

Brian Pirelli is a character that originally wasn’t going to have much of a role in the story, but as the story evolved, Caleb’s childhood friend began to grow on me and I felt he also had a story to tell. It’s one reason that by the end of Pursuit of a Dream he has a more significant role in Caleb’s story. I’m glad you enjoyed Brian’s character as he will have more “screen time” in Book 2 of Victory Lane: The Chronicles. Oh, and by the way, Brian’s stepfather Tony makes a cameo appearance in Devil’s Nightmare, which I think you may appreciate.

Question 3: This is important! You will be graded! What is your favorite character in the movie The Goonies and why? What that character choice says alot about you as a person and I WILL judge you accordingly. (For example, if Mouth is your favorite character, I'm not sure we can be friends.)

That’s a no brainer for me. Sloth! Hey you guys!!! Why? As a kid, I just thought he was cool. I also loved how he finally stood up for himself at the end of the movie and became a hero. For some reason I feel like eating a Baby Ruth candy bar now.

Oh, and I think Data is a very close second favorite, only because I’m a natural geek. J 

Question 4: Let's talk about charities for a second. I know we're both very intent on giving back to charities and organizations that make a difference. My favorite is George Mark House. If you'd like, take a second to talk about a charity or organization that you support or you'd like to mention and why its important to you.

There are two charities that are most important to me. First is the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) and the other is St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. The ASPCA has done so much for abused and neglected animals throughout the United States and also steps in during natural disasters to help reunite pets with their owners. Super Storm Sandy is a prime example of how integral the ASPCA was to rescuing so many animals. Every time I see a video of a family reunited with their pet, it literally puts tears in my eyes because I know I played a small part in that with my Guardian ASPCA membership. Two of my dogs are rescues and have been the absolute best pets I have ever owned. No disrespect to my other pets, of course. J

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is another one of my favorite charities because of what they do for kids who have been diagnosed with cancer. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital doesn’t turn families away because of their inability to pay for treatment and I believe one day that this hospital will find a cure for cancer. Cancer is something that many of us have had to deal with in one way or another and it’s a very difficult thing to go through. So, every little bit of dollars that we can contribute to organizations like St. Jude and George Mark House makes a big difference for the kids in need of treatment.

Closing statement:

Tylia thank you so much for inviting me to chat with you on your site. I had a great time answering your interview question and hope I didn’t scare away too many readers with my Goonies answer. J 

[Ed. Note: You certainly didn't turn me away with your Goonies answer. In fact, I think I like you more now. My favorite is Chunk partly because of the Truffle Shuffle but mostly because of the friendship he forges with Sloth at the end makes him so endearing. You can be the Sloth to my Chunk anytime. Ok, that came out weird, but you know what I mean.]

About the author:

Robert “Sharky” Pruneda is a horror fiction and contemporary author of Devil’s Nightmare and Pursuit of a Dream. He lives in south Texas and has called the Lone Star State his home all of his life. He has worked in a myriad of industries ranging from banking to the travel industry, and most recently as an obituaries coordinator for his local newspaper. He now operates a small business administrative support service from home and continues to focus on his love of writing fiction full-time. Pruneda is very active in social media, especially Twitter, and is also an avid gamer and can often be found hanging out with his friends on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360.

Subscribe to Robert Pruneda’s author website and blog at http://SharkbaitWrites.com

Find his books:  
Pursuit of a Dream (Victory Lane: The Chronicles): bit.ly/PursuitofaDream
Devil's Nightmare: bit.ly/DevilsNightmare 

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