The Jump-Off

I’m probably one of ten people in existence who don’t watch Shonda Rhimes’ latest smash hit TV show Scandal.  The only reason I don’t partake in the weekly national drama is this:  

I don’t like the fact that Olivia Pope is the President’s jump-off.

My friends tell me that it’s a great show and the writing is fantastic, as is the casting and all that.  That’s fine.  I love that Shonda’s got the nation by the ovaries and the balls and loving every second of it, but I cannot wrap my mind around the fact that a Sistah Supershero is nothing more than the President’s side dish.  She deserves better.

My friends tell me that it doesn’t matter; they’re really in love, Fitz adores Olivia, he’s pussywhipped all to be damned, he can’t breathe without her…yada yada yada.  She’s nothing more than his whore and she deserves better.

The Futility of Commitment

I haven’t done a post like this in quite some time, but it doesn’t mean that I haven’t had anything to say in regards to women and relationships.  There’s been a lot going on, and I’ve had the misfortune to be front row and center.

Relationships are hard.  Whether one is married or committed in another way, it’s damned hard, and having kids complicates matters exponentially.  Too many women I know have experienced the dissolution of their relationships within the past year, and the SO’s modus operandi appears to be the same:

“I don’t want this relationship anymore.”

“I’m tired of being married.”

“I need to go find my happiness elsewhere.”

“I’m ready to move on.”

And with each instance, the woman is devastated by the news.  For three of them, it was out of the blue, and for the fourth one…it’s been going on for a smooth eight years; he’s just been keeping her in limbo.

Predator

I’m a Predator fan.  I’ve been once since its inception; John McTiernan’s 1987 masterpiece introduced the world to a bad-ass hunting machine.  Created by brothers Jim & John Thomas, the Predator (created by the great Stan Winston and brought to life by the great Kevin Peter Hall) caught my attention in a way that hasn’t been rivaled since.  Predator is my favorite movie; I can quote it and re-enact scenes.

"If it bleeds, we can kill it."

"There's something out there hunting us, and it ain't no man."

"I ain't got time to bleed."

"What are you going to try next? Cheese?"

"This stuff will make you a goddamn sexual Tyrannosaurus."

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So I'm sitting here downloading music for my brother as I work.  One of the artists he requested was D'Angelo.  Which, of course, led me to this:

*fans self*  Claude Hammercy....

*takes a deep breath* 
 
When the video dropped, I remember pressing my face up against the TV screen and looking down in a futile effort to see what D was packing.  It didn't matter, because I've got one fuck of an imagination and it got put to good use that day.  Anyhoo, on behalf of those of us who love beautiful men, thank you Lord.  I'll be in my bunk.

By the way, is he getting a blow job from 2:45 - 3:10?  My mind's tellin' me YES! 

The Chamber

I’ve been writing fanfiction for at least a smooth two decades.  It was always a very natural thing to do, as a lot of books, movies and TV shows didn’t do what I needed or expected them to do and I felt the need to correct the oversights.  The main thing was the scarcity of WoC.  So I did what came natural: I created an OC (original character) to supplement what I felt the original story/movie/TV show lacked.  I didn’t do this with every fanfic I wrote; only with the ones I felt required it.

Reviews for Tainted

Blogger Triple J reviews my latest novel in Episode 28 of "Brain Food."



In his own words, I "really knocked it out of the park with that book."

I am so humbled by this generous praise.  I am very thankful and very appreciative that Triple J thinks enough of my crazy ass to not only read my work, but also review it for the masses. Tainted may not be everyone's cup of tea, and it's not intended to be, but it makes me feel good knowing that someone understood the ideas I was trying to get across and the effort it took to do so.

You can purchase a copy of Tainted from Barnes & Noble and Amazon. 

Interview with Dennis Upkins

Recently, during the weekend of the Black Comic Book Convention, I was interviewed by fellow author and my brother from another mother, Dennis Upkins, about my latest novel Tainted.  Here is a portion of the interview:

DRU: First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me today. Second of all, congrats on the new book Tainted. I've started reading and my God is it intense. Before we get to Tainted, let's go back for a moment. Corruption, your debut novel. How did it feel having a title under your belt?

AR: It feels amazing; like I’ve sucker-punched a mountain or kicked a planet out of orbit.

DRU: Looking back on your journey from then to now, what stands out for you?

AR: Sometimes I can’t believe I wrote the book.  I re-read certain passages (usually near the end) and I tell myself that I sat down and I wrote it and I know I sat down and I wrote it, but it feels like someone else did.  In a way, that’s true, because when I’m under the control of the muse, I am not myself.  Or maybe I am who I truly am when I’m being directed and the person you’re talking to right now is the interloper.

You can read the rest of the interview here.  Thanks, Denny!

Throwback Celebration

As I sit at my computer, working on final edits of my thesis, I’m listening to music.  Sometimes it’s Pandora Internet Radio; other times, it's songs on YouTube.  You already know that I’m an O’head; I prefer the older stuff to what’s on the radio now and I ain't trying to convert.   When I was a kid, 90% of my social activities revolved around music of some sort.  Certain songs trigger certain memories and I truly wanted to recall said memories.  However, I didn’t know the names of the songs associated with them even though I remembered the songs themselves.

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Hey Fans of the Dark…

As I’ve stated in previous posts, I’m really busy right now.  A lot is going on, and if I’m going to make my deadline and accomplish my goals, I’ve got to streamline aspects of my life.  So, in keeping with my actions for 2013, I won’t be posting as often.  It is NOT that I don’t have anything to say…it’s just that with all of the other things I have to do; I can’t take the time to organize my manic thoughts into a post.  However, if an opportunity presents itself between thesis revisions and drafting Nightingales  cool air and Blade Dancer, I will definitely poke my crazy-ass manic head up and say Hi.

Mania and the Nightingales

My yearly cycle certainly is maintaining itself.  I’ve been busy in the way that matters most to me: creatively.  Academic business is an aspect of this, as when I can write creatively, I can also write academically.  This is a good thing, as May draws closer, so does graduation.  But I’m not here to talk about school shit, as it’s boring.  Within the past three weeks, I drafted the first Nightingales book, CRASH!!! and am currently drafting the second, cool air.  In doing this, I was inspired to create a blog to supplement the series.  I’m keeping it private for now, and it won’t be ready for consumption until CRASH!!! is published later this year.