January 2016: Intentions

2016 started off on an interesting note and it looks like it will only get more interesting. So in order to balance all of these new things happening, here are my intentions for January, something I will be doing each month so you have a heads up about whats coming up on the blog.

Reading:

You will note that I have a Goodsreads 2016 Reading Challenge widget on my blog. So will start off January with the following books:

1. The Well by Catherine Chanter
2. Hollow City by Ransom Riggs
3. Finders Keepers by Stephen King
4. The Desert Spear by Peter V Brett

Writing:

1. A couple of us NaNoWriMo writers from Joburg are compiling an anthology of short stories so I will be writing those.
2. Looking to enter as many Writing Competitions as possible.
3. Contributing to Flash Fiction blogs and posting those here.
4. Continue working on the various novels on my plate.

Do you have any plans for the month or the year?

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Check out Rachel Poli and her January Goals here: http://rachelpoli.com/2016/01/04/january-2016-goals/

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Back in the Saddle

Image courtesy of: http://joshfults.com/2014/01/07/back-in-the-saddle/

When I hear this phrase, there are always a number of things that come to mind. The first is the wammy-ed introductory guitar solo preceding Steve Tylers scream in Aerosmith’s hit song Back in the Saddle. The other, stemming from that very song, is the title screen of Guitar Hero 3: Legends of Rock, which seemed to always have this song playing when I started that game up. And the most obvious thing that comes in mind is the brown leather saddle placed atop the horse and myself climbing back on top of it. Neither of these have anything to do with this post though I find that Aerosmith song reverberating through my mind as I sit here writing this.

So the main reason for this post is, well as you can gather from my lack of activity in the whole of September, to let you know that I am back. Apparently my writing went Greenday on me and woke up when September ended.

First things first (“I’m the realest” oh gosh I’m turning into Iggy Azalea), I am at a new job. Long hours, stuck in traffic, too lazy to write when I get home. I also can’t do any writing while I’m there since its so busy which leaves all my writing to the last few hours of the day. Sigh.

Although my blog has been scarce, I have been writing. I had the pleasure of writing 6 game previews for my magazine Gamecca as well as squeezing in a Naruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Revolutions review in there. You can check out the mag here: http://www.gameccamag.com . I also had the pleasure of reviewing Planetary Annihilation for another gaming company – that was fun.

NANOWRIMO is coming up soon too so I’m planning out a novel. I know I failed last year but I’m looking to win it this year, and by win I mean write and finish the novel. 50 000 words here I come.

In the mean time, look out for some Daily Post stuff. I’m working on a little short thriller now about the airport so keep an eye out for that.

Well that’s about all the “Updates” I can squeeze in at Lunch time. Keep coming back for some exciting October-November write-athon starting today, prepping for NANOWRIMO.

Hit me up in the comments why don’t you?

 

Dark Tales: eBook now Available on Amazon!

A while ago ( a few months ago in fact), I received a message from a fellow blogger, S.R. Tooms, regarding an anthology that a fellow writer Vincent V Cava was going to work on. This was on the heels of another book that the two writers had worked on and published as an eBook – Decomposing Head: Frighteningly Funny Tales That Will Rot Your Brain.

Knowing S.R. Tooms to be of a worthy reputation ( and buying and then reading the Decomposing Head book above helped too), I followed up on the information and began communicating with Vince. Vince let me know that this would be for a charity and therefore none of the sales would be for the authors or for him – in other words, not for Profit. Not wanting to miss the opportunity I agreed anyway, glad to have an opportunity to get my stories published…and besides, it was for a worthy cause!

Scares That Care, is the charity that we have been writing for, a charity that is providing toys, money and other various items to help children. It has been great knowing that for every person who reads my short story, which has been included in this anthology, is a contributor to this charity and is one of the many helping these children improve their lives; worthy cause indeed! You can find out more about the charity here: Scares That Care.org

The book is available as we speak, has been since the 20th of July (My Birthday! Yay!) and can be purchased on Amazon here –> Dark Tales Anthology

It would be great if you checked the book out, bought it, read it, spread the word you know but hey if you can’t it’s all good, sharing the link or even reblogging this post to reach others would be awesome too. I really appreciate it! Thanks!

PS – An audio book is on the way too!

Welcome Back, Happy Annivesary, and a Published Short

This month I had the pleasure of traveling thousands of Kilometers (or Miles) away, to a distant continent so famous for… well everything really; America. And man what a trip it was!

America:

Well first let me say that the trip itself was spontaneous and unplanned. A friend of mine from church (Yes you Jay) mentioned that he was heading to visit family in the States. As a joke ( with a hint of truth as usual) I told him “If accommodation and food can be provided, I’ll pay for my ticket to come!” To be honest, I did not expect him to do anything about it and I’d forgotten about it until three days later when his mother called me to ask if I was serious and willing and as one not to miss opportunities when they arise declared that I was willing and able! And thus the tale began. I guess I could describe the whole trip and experience for you but I think a dedicated post would suffice. There is still much more to write about.

Writing:

If you follow this blog closely, you would have noticed that I haven’t posted anything in more than a month (Like a month and two weeks I think) which is terrible in all honesty. I had not forgotten about this blog at all and in fact have been writing stories, updating other stories and doing much more while I was overseas and now that I have returned, its time to get a’typin’.

Anniversary:

Hey its my THREE YEAR Anniversary! Yay! Wow I can’t believe its been that long since I started and now here I am and what has happened over the last three years? Well not loads but enough stuff to get me all excited and stuff. Firstly I’ve written more in the last three years than I have before then which is awesome! Secondly I’ve had the pleasure (and stress) of writing for My Xbox Live, online blog dedicated to Xbox and Xbox Games and with that I had the awesome joy and priviledge for writing for Gamecca and Gladget which have now become one mega-magazine in Gamecca and on my birthday, 20th of July, an anthology with my short story in it, was made available on Amazon!

Published Short:

So on the 20th of July, an anthology I was part of, published and released on Amazon, a book with my Short Story in it! Exciting! One of many great birthday presents I received on that day. This is the first time that my short story was both accepted and then published and I am, as you can imagine, extremely excited to add that accomplishment to my list of repertoires.

The name of the book is Dark Tales, and features thirteen different authors, each tackling the horror genre hoping to bring a new chill to the genre. All of the sales from the book will be donated to Scares That Care, a non profit charity that provides financial assistance to the families of sick children. None of us authors will receive any money in any form as all of this was done specifically for the Scares That Care charity. Thanks to S.R Tooms for giving the heads up on this book and Vincent V Cava for organizing, and working so hard to bring the book to life. Only eBook versions of the book are available. I hope you check it out. I must warn you  though, it is of the Horror Genre.

You can purchase the book here –> Dark Tales

Hello 2014 – Goodbye Procrastination

Greetings to you all. This is just an official Welcome to 2014 post with a quick update of what’s happening on my blog, with me and just life in general.

Currently Running

First, if you haven’t noticed already, I’m working on a series called Villainous Villainy where I explore villains and the various facets they come in, their motives for being who they are and what generally drives them. I cover these in a series of short stories that I try to keep at at least 1000 words.

Pokemon Fan Fic

I’ve added more to the Pokemon Fan Fic with a second part of the fan fic The Chase. If you’ve been checking back and it hasn’t been updated, that’s because December was practically non-existent when it came to writing but you can expect a bit more now and in the coming months.

Junk Yard Angel

A continuous work in progress. I actually haven’t touched this story since I failed NaNoWriMo. I think I wrote a bit for two days afterwards but in the end I stopped. This doesn’t mean I’ve stopped writing, I’m just taking a break as I focus on other things that are taking quite a bit of time now.

Auburn

Auburn is almost done! That’s right, the tale of our unfortunate hooded fellow, the red haired lady our grey haired security guard and the antagonist Mr Sinister is drawing to a conclusion and as it stands it will have a February conclusion. We also planning some cool stuff relating to Auburn and my fellow writer Tyron Armstrong might branch off on a Auburn spin-off. Exciting stuff.

2014

So last year was quite a productive year of writing and this year seems to be continuing along in the same trend. I’m still going strong writing for Gamecca and Gladget as well as a side personal project that is consuming hours. There is much to look forward to this year and I hope you tag along and enjoy the journey with me.

The Joy of Writing

So if you haven’t been on my blog recently or if its your first time visiting, I guess you wouldn’t know that I am participating in this years NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) in which I must write 50 000 words or more by the end of November. It is Day 12 and I am currently sitting at 15 616 words (at the moment but it updates on the logo on the far far right) and I am somewhat  behind as we speak but that’s okay because right now the ideas are just flowing faster than a waterfall in a flooding river. I love it. The issue however (not really an issue haha) is that I’m finding that all I want to do is write and all these stories are bubbling to the fore.

So! To get my itching fingers and buzzing brain a go, I am working on other stories as we speak. The first is published already and that is my Pokémon Fan Fiction: Descent that I’m busy writing. I posted part 4 yesterday and its kinda a long one compared to the other ones. Why don’t you check it out and let me know what you think? Thanks!

I also have another pokémon fan fiction called The Chase which is a longer in-depth fan fiction that I have divided into three sections: Tragedy, Journey and The Final Battle. It’s 3214 words long so far so its quite a grueling read, maybe I’ll break it up into sections like I did with Descent but gotta finish that arc first before making that decision. I’m pretty sure it will be done by the end of this week so keep a look out for that.

Auburn is still going strong and although we (Tyron and I) were supposed to have posted Part 7 of Auburn already, my NaNo writing would have to have taken a back seat and that would not have been ideal at that time but right now I am eager to keep going. As you await this next episode of our soon to be concluded series you can read the First 6 parts below. (Divided into Dark Universe and Unhinging Light from Part 3 – find out why here or here )

Ascribe To Describe: Auburn 

Life in Light of Eternity: Auburn

Also I have other personal stuff going on on the side, personal writing and stuff that I’m thoroughly enjoying and it really is a joy to be able to write. Just seeing the world in your head spewing out onto paper (or screen rather) and having others enjoy exploring that world too just gives a joy that pushes me to keep writing.

As November marches on, so do I and so should you fellow writer/reader/blogger.

NaNoWriMo – Junk Yard Angel: Synopsis

Courtesy of the NaNoWriMo website, not my own work or like whatever. COPYRIGHT etc etc

Ooh look, a Synopsis!

In a post-technology era, the world was moving along fine and at a steady pace as people found various means to do what they needed to; and then a new technology was introduced. Steam powered contraptions began to appear all over the world, slowly at first but increasing rapidly with time and along with them, junk yards. Now the world relies heavily on this new technology (and the ridding of the old), even more so now as natural disasters seem to be occurring more often than before. And then rumours began to stir amongst the people, rumours of a saviour of sorts,the girl with the white hair – the Junk Yard Angel.

Noah Otsile is a young boy with a metallic-heart. Without his parents’ permission, he sets out on a journey to find the woman with the white hair, following any and all clues he can get in order to thank her for the gift of life she’s given him but more importantly, to ask her to help his dying father.

Thiago Nambia is a miner for Steam-Tech Industries in Central, the hub of steam powered devices. During one of the mining operations, he stumbles upon a device that could end the job’s of all the miners in Central…and more; at the crux of his discovery, is a white haired woman. In his effort to alert his fellow workers of the impending doom, the authorities catch on to his knowledge and he is immediately exiled out of Central. He then sets on a path to uncover the truth behind the supposed saviour and this the new technology but his discoveries reveal more truth than he can handle.

Writing Challenge: Is he crazy!?

“Stephen King. In his book On Writing, King says that he writes 10 pages a day without fail, even on holidays. That’s a lot of writing each day, and it has led to some incredible results: King is one of the most prolific writers of our time.”

When I read this quote, I thought to myself, “Is that even possible? 10 Pages a day without fail? That’s a lot of writing!” and I thought about my own writing, how difficult it was to write just 2 pages a day unless the pressure of a deadline loomed over me like the blade of a guillotine. So I decided (with much fear and excitement) that I would attempt, not 10 pages a day but rather a post a day. I’m fortunate in the fact that its already the middle of September so its not so much writing but still, a post a day is a lot. Also I do not want to make it too easy so I’m pushing to write over 500 words per post, at least get 1000 words in or average more than 750 words. That is my target and also it will be a different style, genre or topic each time so I can’t cop out with “continuations”. Weekends count too so yes, this is indeed a challenge. Just thinking about it as I write this makes my chest pulsate.

Why am I doing this? Well its really to get writing. I only write when I have to with the occasional short here and there which means I don’t grow much as a writer. Sure I have the previews and reviews that I write for Gamecca and the Auburn Series that my fellow blogger and friend Tyron and I have been doing but this is different to both of those while at the same time, beneficial to both. So yes this is a way to get me writing more and hopefully better.

Right so with that out as public knowledge, you there, reader of my blog, can now hold me accountable and can even dish out a suitable punishment should I skip a day.

Right so with that said, lets get to writing!

Auburn Collaboration Announcement: The Meeting of Two Minds

Auburn? What’s that about?

Auburn is a short story I’d written in response to a Writing Challenge from…well from quite a few months ago, that asked aspiring writers to come up with a short-story that could be turned into a short film – should the judges like it. Of course my creative juices kicked in and I developed this whole story and character and concept, only to see the gut-busting disclaimer that said my country could not participate in the challenge. And so off my story went into the “Maybe-One-Day” drafts, and soon it was forgotten; that is, until the day I decided to peruse through my drafts for some inspiration, something to satisfy my itchy fingers and I came across Auburn. Mind you it was not called Auburn then and in fact it had no title, not until I’d altered the story.

So what’s this Collaboration thing you mentioned in the title? What are you announcing!?

Well Auburn was written in an effort to alleviate the itch, the thirst, the need to write and so I merely took my draft and turned it into what it is now. Where was I heading with the story? No idea! But I knew I couldn’t leave it where it was, I mean seriously! (You can find the first part of Auburn here Auburn Part 1 – maybe you want to read it first then come back here?) I just had to continue and so still unsure as to where I was going, Part Two began to form but it was missing an important element – where is this story going. Ah but after an interesting preaching/teaching class I attended, one of the guys’ “practice sermon” gave me the perfect ingredient, and so the second part was born (You can read that here – Auburn Part 2)

Still haven’t said what you are announcing, buddy! (Agh jeez get to the point already)

Well a friend of mine (and fellow blogger, check him out here: Life in Light of Eternity) read the Auburn series and he got really excited about a potential idea he had and when we met he said to me though not in these words, “Dude! I got an idea for Auburn…Parallel Universe.” And from then on he divulged his idea on the possibility of him writing an alternate version of Auburn that runs concurrent with mine . The second part of Auburn gave the protagonist two choices that boiled down to the concept of Darkness or Light. So after some talking (and brainstorming) we have gone on and decided that FRIDAY we would post our alternate versions of the same story, with him writing about the protagonist taking the Dark path while mine takes the Light path. We will then alternate versions with each new part so that we each get to explore the “Other Universe”.

Meeting of Two Minds

Meeting of similar minds is really what it is. Tyron (Tyrosha) and I have a lot in common and most times have similar ideas, concepts etc and I really look forward to working with him on this collaborative project. He has really been my inspiration in writing this third part and I am glad that his enthusiasm has rubbed off on me too. You should really go check out his blog, he posts some deep stuff there that gets you thinking.

So yes, check back Friday and see what the collaborative efforts of Silvayrosha/Tyronthato (Fusion of Silvanthato and Tyrosha haha – also gets to explain the head image xD) have produced. We would love feedback (any, really) on the stories. Thanks for reading and don’t be afraid to hit us up on the comments! You can also follow us so that you can get all the updates and future versions of this Auburn Saga.

The Monsters Inside

An itch.          A twitch.

            A web woven seam… a stitch.

Lips silent,

            their tips violet

Unspoken words, hearts turned violent.

            Beware the darkness. The Monster Inside

Rearing their heads – unsuspected

        The world continues – disconnected

Each step they glean.           Eyes turned green

        Hands wrung,

nervous… high strung                                    

               Waiting yet still unsung

And with each nibble…                     A Dribble

              Mouths wide hanging agape, 

                                    nothing sates… the hunger does not abate

beckoning with cries…the light does not perforate

                           What darkness is this that would amalgamate

       both the wages and the sins which they masquerade!

                           Cautiously tread…

without dread

                         Beware the darkness. The Monster inside