tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-43093445474890733182024-03-13T22:41:18.436-05:00Daryl RothmanDrop the Vernacular~A Literary BlogDaryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.comBlogger117125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-2646244087550827902024-01-01T11:39:00.001-06:002024-01-01T11:39:05.710-06:00Nullius in verba<p><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><i><span style="background: white; color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Nullius in verba. </span></i><span style="background: white; color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">In 1660 the Royal Society of London for the Improvement of
Natural Knowledge was formed, and they made this their motto. Roughly translated,
take no one’s word for anything. Reminds me of another favorite quip, this one
by Carl Sanburg: <i>Be aware of advice--even this.</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Faith can be a beautiful thing, yet
blind or worse still, intolerant faith, not so much. Questioning is good.
Inquiring. I’m more apt, of course, to question that which I’m exhorted to take
on faith, and which has not—perhaps cannot—be tested and validated and proven,
than that which has been.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="background: white; color: #363636; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But I digress, as writers are wont
to do. Newton was among the Society’s founders and thought by some to have popularized
the notion of a clockwork universe, but many contend he in fact rejected the notion,
and dated the concept </span><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">as considerably older. At any
rate, time plays heavily in the David Rose series, and this was indeed the
impetus for my contemplations today. Readying to pen a clockwork universe
scene. (While I suspect the metaphor of time and the universe as an inexorably
advancing machine is more properly crafted over the balance of a treatment, I
do have hints throughout the series, and want to try to conjure a vivid
sequence nonetheless.)</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">I am working on the third and final book of the series
(were originally to be four, but, you know, time happened, and seems I’m
getting old), with hopes of getting it out there by the end of this new year. Hoping
much earlier this year to release <i>Gospel, </i>a literary-suspense manuscript
I poured about 18 mos. into.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Anyway.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Just wanted to share the update. I start a new job
tomorrow and while I’m looking forward, time (that pesky notion again) will be
in shorter supply, so getting the words in shan’t be easy. Alas, I usually do
better when forced to be more disciplined. Time(ahem) will tell.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Wishing that the time ahead for each of you is
healthy, happy, and requiting of your dreams, whatever they may be. I remain
ever grateful for your support. I love you all, be it friends, families,
readers, or even the wayward souls fallen away from my life but for whom this
may yet be a loving, secret cipher, should you on one far day stop in: you are
not forgotten, and are forever loved. <o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Happy New Year, and to quote my daughter’s beloved Dr.
Who, <i>Laugh hard. Run Fast. Be kind.</i></span><i><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="color: black; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgotN1sRX9lsds4OAVA70dtGxJ5m0CRZCeR3Qr_BeaCj2uRYNhZnpoGBKIZCg0xXzt567qRTz78We-GvvzwjKW3THrkUr0nWO_F9bofHpwtLnlb7W261E0lP1EtjSK0HkyJxekjX_ozUL62QyGGHibkB57Spry_8qK_2cUgMtE6S4ZgyxcvGUUkNRHVo/s800/time-10663127.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUgotN1sRX9lsds4OAVA70dtGxJ5m0CRZCeR3Qr_BeaCj2uRYNhZnpoGBKIZCg0xXzt567qRTz78We-GvvzwjKW3THrkUr0nWO_F9bofHpwtLnlb7W261E0lP1EtjSK0HkyJxekjX_ozUL62QyGGHibkB57Spry_8qK_2cUgMtE6S4ZgyxcvGUUkNRHVo/s320/time-10663127.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i><p></p>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-66870926730673191902023-01-01T11:51:00.005-06:002023-02-13T20:59:12.036-06:00Onward<p><i>Onward.</i></p><p>The final word of <i>Gospel, </i>my literary-suspense manuscript due out this year, about lost love, a Faustian pact, and coming to terms with those things which most truly author our lives. A hopeful note, against a chorus of considerable darkness and despair. At once a beginning, and an end.</p><p>Like so many things, for so many people, in so many ways. Every year. Any year. And once more now, another upon us.</p><p>I'm not here to lecture. Highs and lows this last year, like everyone. Dad passed in June, though, and that was a loss. Of the sort that no turn of the calendar can magically allay. And that's ok, really. We must go on, if not move on. Some things endure, and rightly so. </p><p>In <i>All the Pretty Horses, </i>Cormac McCarthy writes, <i>Between the wish and the thing, the world lies waiting. </i>'Tis the season for resolutions, but whatever your aspirations, I hope for each of you the wish becomes the thing and that 2023 is a blessed year.</p><p>Speaking of McCarthy, he finally published again, a long-awaited delight for me. <i>The Passenger, </i>and a coda to that work, <i>Stella Maris. </i>Well into the former, and it's brilliant, per usual. The greatest nod I may give an author is when they inspire me not only to keep reading, but to write, and write well, and no one does so for me quite like Cormac. So, resolutions? Fine. Write every day. Something. Read too. And I implore all scribes do likewise. The opposite road is paved with beguiling excuses. Let's take the road less traveled. Erik Larson once reminded me that what most distinguishes a professional from an amateur is completion. I'll raise a glass to that.</p><p>I reckon if I must conjure up another resolution it would be to be more "other" focused. Can be counter-intuitive for a writer, as we must be our own best promoters, but in the end, we are of course more than our vocations or hobbies or our trades. In the end we must decide what shall author our lives. While he was on one hand a larger-than-life personality, Dad made a life out of focusing on others. Giving, teaching, inspiring. In his memory, I'll give it my best.</p><p>The key, of course, is enduring change. Making things a habit, not just a resolution that fades into the rearview mirror with each passing day. In the last year--and throughout our lives--we've all had some good luck and surely some bad. Perhaps even catastrophic. And while I shall never minimize those hardships confronted by so many, I do endeavor to maintain perspective, and another McCarthy quote sometimes helps me along the way. <i>You never know what worse luck your bad luck has saved you from. </i>No Country for Old Men.</p><p>And shoot, I'm traversing that old men country myself, truth be told. Get AARP stuff in the mail, at any rate. Beats the alternative, pray tell.</p><p>Alas, I've prattled on, as is my wont. Hopefully can channel some of it into some good literary production. Wishing a very happy, healthy, and productive new year to all, whatever that looks like for each of you. If you're anything like me, you'll fall short many times, maybe even fall off the horse entirely. No worries, get back in the saddle. Each day we can do so is a blessing and reprieve beyond measure. One day at a time. </p><p><i>Onward.</i></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM050Cp4CjGboF7ymd1Ox6dO7m_diDDy3MhX4GxFXBrpYmX4D5JxeGfmB0-w5jfcpo00W68bjB86aDxNAFbmKaVrAVPCMFA3nhSY5BYAmLyE1U2Iwr91cg6AqVqK8CS1an1iUmGJT102CL7m1Hv0ovziBvz1uZnuZHYaY8-ymFGWd0SxFp4lCQAnFQ/s341/McCarthy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="180" data-original-width="341" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM050Cp4CjGboF7ymd1Ox6dO7m_diDDy3MhX4GxFXBrpYmX4D5JxeGfmB0-w5jfcpo00W68bjB86aDxNAFbmKaVrAVPCMFA3nhSY5BYAmLyE1U2Iwr91cg6AqVqK8CS1an1iUmGJT102CL7m1Hv0ovziBvz1uZnuZHYaY8-ymFGWd0SxFp4lCQAnFQ/s320/McCarthy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i><p></p><p><i><br /></i></p><p><i><br /></i></p>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-48420967341889631582022-09-26T16:07:00.006-05:002022-09-26T16:07:58.374-05:00RELEASE DAY!--David Rose and the Forbidden Tournament<p> Thank you all for the nice response in pre-sales--really grateful, and hope folks are enjoying the read!</p><p><br /></p><p>Today is release day, and I wanted to share the update from the great folks at Evolved Publishing. Thanks everyone!</p><p><br /></p><div class="m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf n3t5jt4f" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Well, after a long pandemic, and as so many readers have been anticipating, the "David Rose" series by Daryl Rothman is expanding. The 2nd book in the series is <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a style="color: #385898; cursor: pointer; font-family: inherit;" tabindex="-1"></a></span>officially available today!</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd d1w2l3lo tes86rjd" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/ya?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZV14ol9pAB_9lW3PXT0GlPwxc-MD_OXDmYZDJr6f-qW4Vnuuybf9kiCBom9rqsEQlNKQ-nVULdEdoaBWRUqrwk-erWwcZgjwAytuqZG6anea_2qtTR-K9HDOUjMsRvLg8eP04kBXdoL0Nnt6Xt-OzMCOQ6mGchohK-VWkRxaiMpFeoTfvGEL5RhF33fEsliJ2MElcVvrVIf0LQ88NieHkat&__tn__=*NK-y-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#YA</a></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd d1w2l3lo tes86rjd" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/youngadult?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZV14ol9pAB_9lW3PXT0GlPwxc-MD_OXDmYZDJr6f-qW4Vnuuybf9kiCBom9rqsEQlNKQ-nVULdEdoaBWRUqrwk-erWwcZgjwAytuqZG6anea_2qtTR-K9HDOUjMsRvLg8eP04kBXdoL0Nnt6Xt-OzMCOQ6mGchohK-VWkRxaiMpFeoTfvGEL5RhF33fEsliJ2MElcVvrVIf0LQ88NieHkat&__tn__=*NK-y-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#YoungAdult</a></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd d1w2l3lo tes86rjd" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/fantasy?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZV14ol9pAB_9lW3PXT0GlPwxc-MD_OXDmYZDJr6f-qW4Vnuuybf9kiCBom9rqsEQlNKQ-nVULdEdoaBWRUqrwk-erWwcZgjwAytuqZG6anea_2qtTR-K9HDOUjMsRvLg8eP04kBXdoL0Nnt6Xt-OzMCOQ6mGchohK-VWkRxaiMpFeoTfvGEL5RhF33fEsliJ2MElcVvrVIf0LQ88NieHkat&__tn__=*NK-y-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#Fantasy</a></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd d1w2l3lo tes86rjd" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/swordandsorcery?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZV14ol9pAB_9lW3PXT0GlPwxc-MD_OXDmYZDJr6f-qW4Vnuuybf9kiCBom9rqsEQlNKQ-nVULdEdoaBWRUqrwk-erWwcZgjwAytuqZG6anea_2qtTR-K9HDOUjMsRvLg8eP04kBXdoL0Nnt6Xt-OzMCOQ6mGchohK-VWkRxaiMpFeoTfvGEL5RhF33fEsliJ2MElcVvrVIf0LQ88NieHkat&__tn__=*NK-y-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#SwordAndSorcery</a></span></div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">DAVID ROSE AND THE FORBIDDEN TOURNAMENT (<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd d1w2l3lo tes86rjd" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/ebook?__eep__=6&__cft__[0]=AZV14ol9pAB_9lW3PXT0GlPwxc-MD_OXDmYZDJr6f-qW4Vnuuybf9kiCBom9rqsEQlNKQ-nVULdEdoaBWRUqrwk-erWwcZgjwAytuqZG6anea_2qtTR-K9HDOUjMsRvLg8eP04kBXdoL0Nnt6Xt-OzMCOQ6mGchohK-VWkRxaiMpFeoTfvGEL5RhF33fEsliJ2MElcVvrVIf0LQ88NieHkat&__tn__=*NK-y-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#eBook</a></span>)</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon: <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd ezidihy3" href="https://evolvedpub.com/DR-DRATFT-AMA?fbclid=IwAR3peWqJCqz4jqFuHsHMhw2YLqzGJe3zIqQYZpzHGr6pLPFJd5AbDohA8IM" rel="nofollow" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://EvolvedPub.com/DR-DRATFT-AMA</a></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Apple: <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd ezidihy3" href="https://evolvedpub.com/DR-DRATFT-AB?fbclid=IwAR3peWqJCqz4jqFuHsHMhw2YLqzGJe3zIqQYZpzHGr6pLPFJd5AbDohA8IM" rel="nofollow" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://EvolvedPub.com/DR-DRATFT-AB</a></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Barnes & Noble: <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd ezidihy3" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2FEvolvedPub.com%2FDR-DRATFT-BNeb%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2djRI7IfqnX63PYYfZyHH6ISbq6uB0Yx4m0Qe6kIzlpFyZCCoYGwmx2fU&h=AT1IaEXMUtQG55jVWSBXdmm2OI4ClOqDZ6_PvAx7IyVWWdNo9SqdT7fCLiFH3HlWTBpt65qubcDvI0j8KIK267q4Rkn4nWv-DEU81QIxJ0B5ZrI_E0TxQBJzTAVIR8XgUEoABC5be810Sp-ubw&__tn__=-UK-y-R&c[0]=AT2Sbw8pITwm6DN3tVhLXZxetC6JbubF3x4hp_Ishy_P548pH5zI9UjpOEpq8qvjxDyvun885frmeXQIkbIsbmybtbE4sUyKZ6dcWx_LFKqGuPZ2uDvvYkYB6r-cXHHlz5gGPKRryeU2SGLM7VSgd6JAA3-qxvUWo6z-wr38ryLy47HE_2RFqHfmWR4Z_VN_aF69ShdjXS9FCEEGJnapPk8OVr5WfjHC9tw" rel="nofollow" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://EvolvedPub.com/DR-DRATFT-BNeb</a></span></div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Kobo: <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd ezidihy3" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2FEvolvedPub.com%2FDR-DRATFT-KO%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1iA1cTVsoHaUgxl-4k3lny9M9JfucAks_nusAjzHvXLsLJ879ZUTquOCo&h=AT0EQLWfXRr30ZtxDSgfzblUFkqWWwQf_yWfowPxG8wfmZQZHR_d01Tim7LfIEDk9qF4ddy9a0xgXxFdOigxAqVCmNskRLE1tXIoAI9SR7xCKk0zm5eLVKV8xqWHWuRL8NT4MyEUS_d1ku8NjQ&__tn__=-UK-y-R&c[0]=AT2Sbw8pITwm6DN3tVhLXZxetC6JbubF3x4hp_Ishy_P548pH5zI9UjpOEpq8qvjxDyvun885frmeXQIkbIsbmybtbE4sUyKZ6dcWx_LFKqGuPZ2uDvvYkYB6r-cXHHlz5gGPKRryeU2SGLM7VSgd6JAA3-qxvUWo6z-wr38ryLy47HE_2RFqHfmWR4Z_VN_aF69ShdjXS9FCEEGJnapPk8OVr5WfjHC9tw" rel="nofollow" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; 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background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0">#Paperback</a></span>)</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Amazon: <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd ezidihy3" href="https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2FEvolvedPub.com%2FDR-DRATFT-AmPB%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1KQgRihBjwJ5FGKmGvL0F_IzHA-lffeqwFi4OKM2bCeqBowR3tCQepqOE&h=AT0TG98FlAIJZq1ZNPioNDwyU3ct2ix9Edv4mYoFea_VW5geyYrMALngi3QASXaNjRoecmtzXXprXIrRekC5U9P3cRuiGSQ6M7uwNNlxkI_mRGyGbk0cwgOR6Gz5T_mdn7tMdJwhIbfPXXH-BQ&__tn__=-UK-y-R&c[0]=AT2Sbw8pITwm6DN3tVhLXZxetC6JbubF3x4hp_Ishy_P548pH5zI9UjpOEpq8qvjxDyvun885frmeXQIkbIsbmybtbE4sUyKZ6dcWx_LFKqGuPZ2uDvvYkYB6r-cXHHlz5gGPKRryeU2SGLM7VSgd6JAA3-qxvUWo6z-wr38ryLy47HE_2RFqHfmWR4Z_VN_aF69ShdjXS9FCEEGJnapPk8OVr5WfjHC9tw" rel="nofollow" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; 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background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0" target="_blank">https://EvolvedPub.com/DR-DRATFT-BNpb</a></span></div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">It’s one thing to discover a whole new world, but quite another to survive it. David Rose discovers that, on top of everything else, immortality can kill you.</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">~~~~~</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">It’s been less than a year since his fateful 15th birthday, but for David Rose, everything has changed. He’s learned of his immortality, discovered a sinister plot centuries in the making, and survived an attempt on his life at a medieval castle in England. Through it all, he’s more convinced than ever that his mother is alive.</div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">David has been awakened to a wondrous new world, yet one fraught with peril. His awakening has served as a beacon to other immortals, some of whom view him as a threat to be dispatched. Just as he’s learning how to channel the greatest powers of his past lives, he’s abducted by a rogue syndicate bent on exploiting immortals and pitting them against each other in battles to the death.</div></div><div class="l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk gh25dzvf jikcssrz n3t5jt4f" style="background-color: white; color: #050505; font-family: "Segoe UI Historic", "Segoe UI", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">w/ <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd d1w2l3lo tes86rjd" href="https://www.facebook.com/lane.diamond?__cft__[0]=AZV14ol9pAB_9lW3PXT0GlPwxc-MD_OXDmYZDJr6f-qW4Vnuuybf9kiCBom9rqsEQlNKQ-nVULdEdoaBWRUqrwk-erWwcZgjwAytuqZG6anea_2qtTR-K9HDOUjMsRvLg8eP04kBXdoL0Nnt6Xt-OzMCOQ6mGchohK-VWkRxaiMpFeoTfvGEL5RhF33fEsliJ2MElcVvrVIf0LQ88NieHkat&__tn__=-]K-y-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="rse6dlih" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">Lane Diamond</span></a></span> (editor), <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="qi72231t nu7423ey n3hqoq4p r86q59rh b3qcqh3k fq87ekyn bdao358l fsf7x5fv rse6dlih s5oniofx m8h3af8h l7ghb35v kjdc1dyq kmwttqpk srn514ro oxkhqvkx rl78xhln nch0832m cr00lzj9 rn8ck1ys s3jn8y49 icdlwmnq cxfqmxzd d1w2l3lo tes86rjd" href="https://www.facebook.com/dalepease?__cft__[0]=AZV14ol9pAB_9lW3PXT0GlPwxc-MD_OXDmYZDJr6f-qW4Vnuuybf9kiCBom9rqsEQlNKQ-nVULdEdoaBWRUqrwk-erWwcZgjwAytuqZG6anea_2qtTR-K9HDOUjMsRvLg8eP04kBXdoL0Nnt6Xt-OzMCOQ6mGchohK-VWkRxaiMpFeoTfvGEL5RhF33fEsliJ2MElcVvrVIf0LQ88NieHkat&__tn__=-]K-y-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; background-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><span class="rse6dlih" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">Dale Robert Pease</span></a></span> (cover artist)</div><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnxMPQort88sA4rJnkw3FUdzU0D8hZnfHc9fiI5g6NrTNH1GcJwVTzYQQfQj2LRvbtQHX52aNtsbwRWTHVJhhzw7P8xKenCv44QPm6eBSn0Cgvjf6ufwHneS5FNzMrnS28A4IHKrDgBOvkW2bQywn59XZIKZd_6EJ_nTJr9hMGGm6-KCkYlbsGa4E/s2401/David%20Rose%20and%20the%20Forbidden%20Tournament.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2401" data-original-width="1501" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnxMPQort88sA4rJnkw3FUdzU0D8hZnfHc9fiI5g6NrTNH1GcJwVTzYQQfQj2LRvbtQHX52aNtsbwRWTHVJhhzw7P8xKenCv44QPm6eBSn0Cgvjf6ufwHneS5FNzMrnS28A4IHKrDgBOvkW2bQywn59XZIKZd_6EJ_nTJr9hMGGm6-KCkYlbsGa4E/s320/David%20Rose%20and%20the%20Forbidden%20Tournament.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></div></div>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-18346760734352601902022-09-09T08:55:00.008-05:002022-09-09T09:02:54.838-05:00David Rose and the Forbidden Tournament: Pre-Order here!<p> Official release date is September 26–details to come!—but here is the link to pre-order your copy today! (Also can order Book I if desired.) </p><p><br /></p><p>THANKS so much for your support, and I look forward to sharing release day details!</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://evolvedpub.com/books/david-rose-and-the-forbidden-tournament/">https://evolvedpub.com/books/david-rose-and-the-forbidden-tournament/</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-24195605921710498752021-09-29T19:06:00.000-05:002021-09-29T19:06:05.394-05:00GRATEFUL…AND NOT DEAD<p><br /></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But
as the legendary group once famously observed, <i>what a long, strange trip
it’s been.</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Been a long while since I've posted here, but I'm still around and kicking, and yeah, even writing. I am grateful to <a href="https://evolvedpub.com/">Evolved Publishing</a> for their patience, and to have at
long last submitted book II in the David Rose Series: <i><a href="https://evolvedpub.com/tag/david-rose-and-the-forbidden-tournament/">David Rose & the
Forbidden Tournament</a>, </i>to maybe see a late-year release, but more likely
Spring 2022.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
tale picks up with David continuing his search for his mother, while trying to
come to terms with his newfound abilities and past lives, and the growing danger
of this immortal world. But at the brink of discovery, he is abducted by a
sinister enterprise, and forced to participate in an ill-fated tournament of
immortals, with little hope of escape, or survival. Meanwhile, Kane and his
minions have located and seized an artifact that can alter the fate of the
world, and somehow, it is all connected to the fate of David’s mother.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
must find a way to endure the tournament, plot an escape for
not only himself but the others, before it is too late—for himself, the
others, and for the mother he has forsworn to find.</span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I
look forward to sharing publication news when I have it, and in the meantime, I am
diving into the third and final installment, <i>David Rose & the Days of
Awe.</i></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Thank
you, as always, for your support.<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPxbEXVMGgw/YVT-wzba4nI/AAAAAAAAEp0/91qP7kO3uAEC011Kn4bmBvZudeG9A5aqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s2048/David%2BRose%2Band%2Bthe%2BForbidden%2BTournament.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1280" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-OPxbEXVMGgw/YVT-wzba4nI/AAAAAAAAEp0/91qP7kO3uAEC011Kn4bmBvZudeG9A5aqQCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/David%2BRose%2Band%2Bthe%2BForbidden%2BTournament.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span><p></p>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-35218857786946439432021-06-13T08:58:00.001-05:002021-06-13T09:01:17.299-05:00When You Wish Upon a Star….…Or, five. Every scribe pines for those 5-Star reviews, right? But, should we?<div><br /></div><div><div>Flashback to summer 2014: was already grateful to pen a piece for the terrific KM Weiland, but doubly so when top journalist and Fellow at the National Critics Institute, Porter Anderson, weighed in.</div><div><br /></div><div>https://thoughtcatalog.com/porter-anderson/2014/07/5-reasons-to-pan-those-5-star-reviews/</div></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-89293419020753639212021-05-30T14:08:00.001-05:002021-05-30T14:08:30.314-05:00Send Me a Postcard, Drop Me a Line...<p> For some reason, the lyrics to that Beatles classic get me thinking about how to write good Young Adult literature.</p><p>Not just the mention of postcards and lines, or points of view, but the central refrain itself: <i>Will you still need me, will you still feed me, When I'm 64?</i></p><p>Philip Pullman said, <i>After nourishment, shelter and companionship, stories are the thing we need most in the world. </i></p><p>Hear hear. I think equating stories--whether reading or writing them--resonates with many. It does with me. And so, <i>will you still need me, will you still feed me, </i>resonates too. <a href="https://evolvedpub.com/tag/david-rose-series/">The David Rose Series</a> is Young Adult Fantasy, and I must here proffer a confession: YA has never been my natural writing voice. The series was inspired by my children and represents a promise I made to them long ago, but finding that balance required of good YA(in my opinion), can be quote elusive, and I profoundly admire those who have mastered it. I say it's a balance because good YA, I believe, should appeal to young and older readers alike. Middle, tweens, teens, young adult, adult. I mean, why limit your audience? There is no shortage of adults who love great YA literature. One must not deviate too drastically, I rather think, from tried and true YA tropes and techniques, but I have admittedly in the D Rose series pushed the literary envelope a bit and "written up," as it were. Not too much, I hope, and I am grateful to have received good feedback from young readers, in whom I retain great faith. You don't want them running endlessly to the(actual or online) dictionary, but is it so bad if they make a few trips, here and there? I still do, and am typically delighted to do so. My hope is--and our dear readers, as ever, shall be the ultimate arbiters--that the magic and adventure and darkness and light and story which imbue the series, will make it a fun read, and that the literary overlay will challenge and engage and offer something different from typical YA.</p><p>In any case, I hope young and older readers alike will enjoy the series. And that readers will need me, and I may still nourish them, as Pullman might say, when they're 64. </p><p><a href="https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/writing-for-young-adults/">Here's a look back at a piece</a> I penned for the legendary Katie Weiland a few years ago, about what makes great YA. I hope you enjoy, and as always, thank you for your support.</p><p>Write On!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CzGyRTj9Q9I/YLPhh5h-zZI/AAAAAAAAEmo/HpqidABseIMoBNbq9ll7h14vw2fKjU7xwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1866/photo-1471107340929-a87cd0f5b5f3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1401" data-original-width="1866" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CzGyRTj9Q9I/YLPhh5h-zZI/AAAAAAAAEmo/HpqidABseIMoBNbq9ll7h14vw2fKjU7xwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/photo-1471107340929-a87cd0f5b5f3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-64069029394864700262021-05-22T10:06:00.006-05:002021-05-22T10:13:24.333-05:00The Write Stuff....<p> Never, urged George Orwell, use a long word, where a short word will do. Sage wisdom? Was he right? I think in many instances, yes. But not all. (And see, I just broke a writing “rule” by starting a sentence with a conjunction. And there again. Oops, and again. This can prove vexing.)</p><p>I was grateful a few years back to tackle this topic for the terrific ProBlogger website. (I specified blogging in the title of the piece, given the publication/audience, but it’s applicable to most writing.) Grateful also for the permission to use the great Hemingway/Faulkner rendering from the talented RE Parrish. </p><p>At any rate, I still sometimes get tripped up when writing, wondering if something I just penned is indeed, well, “right.” And who, or what, decides? I enjoyed exploring these considerations in this piece; I hope you enjoy it too. </p><p>Tell me what you think: are you devoted to writing’s “rules?” Which ones? Or do you throw literary caution to the wind, and focus more on the “write,” rather than “right,” stuff?</p><p>Thanks as always for your feedback and support!</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://problogger.com/never-say-never-always-follow-writing-rules-successful-blogger/">https://problogger.com/never-say-never-always-follow-writing-rules-successful-blogger/</a></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ArsfwEUuDCk/YKke_-Q8e5I/AAAAAAAAEmY/Qv_6Z08dBy0HvFDgcN7K_ICzQAxdygkfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1430/Hemingway%2BFaulkner.webp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1430" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ArsfwEUuDCk/YKke_-Q8e5I/AAAAAAAAEmY/Qv_6Z08dBy0HvFDgcN7K_ICzQAxdygkfgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/Hemingway%2BFaulkner.webp" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-78488135595818208822021-05-16T10:53:00.000-05:002021-05-16T10:53:36.891-05:00Where Do Stories Come From, Daddy?....<p>I don't know if my children ever asked me this, in terms of where I got the idea for the David Rose series, but I think they are pretty aware of its genesis and chief inspiration. Has a lot to do with them, after all. I conceived the basic plot 15 years ago--goodness, that's a long time now--and it piddled along in fits and starts and really meandered until I found the heartbeat of the tale, that lifeblood without which, for all the magic and fantasy and hopefully good writing, it would continue to languish.</p><p>I am about 80% finished with Book II--WAY overdue, I know, and I still get asked sometimes, about where the idea for the series came from. <a href="https://thezaxis.co/2019/09/12/heartbeats-and-dragon-curves-the-birth-of-a-story/">Here's a quick revisit to a guest-post</a> --titled Heartbeats and Dragon Curves: The Birth of a Story--I was privileged to pen for amazing author and friend, Amira K. Makansi, whose fantastic work, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0794N9S7P/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">Literary Libations</a> is a big hit, and who has a great novel soon in the offing. Grateful to Amira for letting me visit her wonderful site, and this piece offers a brief window into the ideas/inspiration which built the world of David Rose.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EkKFvK0eBbs/YKE-0rDPV9I/AAAAAAAAEmA/Rwc7-LwTFckpn0_oQdxOn5dM7z_39StPACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1664" data-original-width="1100" height="240" src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-EkKFvK0eBbs/YKE-0rDPV9I/AAAAAAAAEmA/Rwc7-LwTFckpn0_oQdxOn5dM7z_39StPACLcBGAsYHQ/image.png" width="159" /></a></div><br />(Image from Amira K. Makansi's website, the Z-Axis, Featured image by Tim Rebkavets on Unsplash.<span style="font-family: Roboto, Verdana, Geneva, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 18px; letter-spacing: 0.1px;"><i>)</i></span></span><p></p>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-40442641967025545592021-05-08T21:02:00.004-05:002021-05-08T21:04:01.998-05:00Stranger Than Fiction?<p>You know the adage. And in this last year or so, it seems particularly sage. In any case, even though I primarily write fiction--nearing the completion of David Rose and the Forbidden Tournament--I tend to read--and enjoy--nonfiction even more, and it continues to make me a better fiction scribe. Just finished <a href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0112OONZA/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1">Killers of the Flower Moon</a>, a terrific read. I remain a devoted Erik Larson fan. Abbot Kahler is tremendous.</p><p>Here's a quick revisit to a <a href="https://www.livewritethrive.com/2014/04/14/3-ways-great-nonfiction-can-be-the-fiction-writers-greatest-resource/">guest post</a> I wrote for the wonderful CS Lakin some years back, on how great nonfiction can help you craft better fiction. </p><p>What are some of your fave nonfiction reads?</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-86554714479227398542021-05-05T17:06:00.003-05:002021-05-06T06:04:07.691-05:00What A Long, Strange Road It’s Been...<p> Been a while since I’ve written here, but thought I’d drop in. I hope everyone’s doing well. What a tough year for the world. </p><p>I hope within the next 3 to 6 months to have Book II in the <i>David Rose</i> series out, as well as my literary suspense manuscript, <i>Gospel. </i></p><p>Here’s a little dialogue that speaks to the heart of the protagonist and his struggle.</p><p>—————— </p><p class="s14" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">“You don’t have to be,”</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> said Rose</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">. “And you don’t have to move on. Your devotion is perhaps the thing which endears me to you most. You don’t have to move on. Maybe you can’t. Maybe you can give your heart to no other and if that part of your life is therefore over and you heart beats out in vigil for the rest of your days then so be it, embrace it. Who am I to say?” And here she pulled him closer still, so that </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">their</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> faces nearly touched. “</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">Perhaps</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> you can’t move on, but you must </span></span><span class="s21" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; font-style: italic; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">go </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">on, and in your heart I think you know </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">this</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> to be true. You go on because you have a son and you must give him all that you can—you and Anabel both. And you must show him that even when things like this happen, </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">life goes on, not without pain but in spite of it, not </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">easily</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> but nevertheless, and you must model </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">courage</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> and resolve and gratitude for all those things for which you remain so abundantly blessed. Gratitude that while your heart may be broken, </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">there</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> are in fact worse fates. You must get up every day and meet that day. Don’t begrudge yourself your pain for it is real and runs deep and may do so for the rest of your days, but please—please, Jacob—do not permit it to paralyze you. You have a choice in that, not everyone does. It may not be the way you dreamed it, the way you imagined, but you have </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">chapters left </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">to write.”</span></span></p><p class="s14" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="s14" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">It occurred to him there in the darkness upon that windblown summit, that sometimes the most </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">proper response is none whatsoever. He regarded her and hoped his eyes conveyed the </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">gratitude</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> he felt and they were silent a good while until at length Jacob said, “But I </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">wish there was something more I could give you.”</span></span></p><p class="s14" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="s14" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">“You can.”</span></span></p><p class="s14" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"><br /></span></span></p><p class="s14" style="font-size: 18px; line-height: 2.4; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-top: 0px; text-indent: 36px;"><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">He’d penned</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;"> </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">enough words </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">through the yea</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">rs to </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">know life’s</span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">greatest meaning lived in the spaces between them. </span></span><span class="s13" style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-size: 12px; line-height: 14.399999618530273px;"><span class="bumpedFont15" style="font-size: 1.5em; line-height: 21.600000381469727px;">And there was little doubt of the meaning here.</span></span></p>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-41989621176005968852020-05-01T21:15:00.000-05:002020-05-01T21:53:00.090-05:00Gospel<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Taking
a little break from D Rose 2 and polishing my literary-suspense manuscript a
bit. Renamed it some time ago, to Gospel, as it a story about, more than
anything, those truths which abide most indelibly within us. The protagonist
has been compelled into an insidious, Faustian pact and dark odyssey, but his
thoughts and his heart remain tethered inexorably to the love of his life, who
has left him. The journey which matters most to him is the one which leads back
to her. When it becomes apparent she has not only moved out, but moved on, he
must find a way to do likewise, while confronting the reality that some truths,
never truly die.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
thought of her. There, on the face of the mountain, with the wind howling down
the rutted slope, cold and lupine and setting his teeth to clatter, but then,
he always thought of her. Even when not top of mind, it was always right there,
just beneath. In good times or bad. A truth, the truth of her. Inscribed upon
his heart like chiseled stone. Like stone, his heart had grown calcified and
remote, but when they’d met she’d found it and pierced it, lightening quick and
petal soft and he’d understood in that moment that to her would it forever be
ordained. Come what may. And what had come was this—here, now—the desolation of
this inhospitable peak no match for that which now occupied the whole of his
heart. He’d understood from the moment he loved her, the countervailing truths
of the road ahead: to be loved by her was heaven; to be forsaken would be hell.
But to know her was to love her and to love her was a covenant from which there
was no recusal. No matter time or distance or the carousel of seasons which had
these last years without her sojourned past, his own locus remained fixed. Less
a destination than a bearing, for his road, he knew, would not lead to her, nor
lead anywhere at all. But his road it was, as real in its solitude as anything
else which remained. And so the seasons galloped past; painted ponies on the
move, for life marches on, no seasons to be denied, but he could only look on,
a man lost in time, a season unto himself, and only the one, and it was
something colder than winter—a hinterland never again to be
found by another, could never, and from which he would never again return. He’d
seen it before, this place, the last time he’d held her to him. He’d held her
and felt her love but so too her fear, and he’d seen straight through in that
moment years forward to this, when fear prevailed, and he had failed, and it
did not matter whether he regretted it all or not, for once he’d loved her
there was only that truth. To pretend or proceed otherwise was pure folly; like
telling the river to cease running, or the mountain no longer to stand. Some
things just were.</span></i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
wasn’t the emptiness which scared him. He’d grown long-since accustomed to this
charade that was life, this great pantomime of the daily requirements of a
given day. He felt at times that someone must surely see it, that glaring void
within him, and he could swear now and then folks saw it and looked away,
trying not to stare at this freakish character, this circus act, this hollow
man who was but a careful construction of walls around that void. It wasn’t the
emptiness but that which might fill it. Cold, irredeemable things which like
the whistling wind of this mountain would infiltrate his soul, finding refuge
in the wasteland of his wayward heart. </span></i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
missed her. He wished he could share all this with her. Not that it was
flattering, but that was just it: she had loved him for all that he was—those
estimable virtues and those countless assailable ones. He knew she was gone but
it was to her that his heart still turned, and though it hurt, it didn’t even
matter that she wasn’t returning—for his heart turned to her, he longed to
share with her, he loved her—not contingent upon possessing her, or even her
feelings, or lack thereof, for him. He loved her because she was the most
lovable person in the world, because she was that flower imprinted upon his
stone heart, and he smiled bitterly now through the tears because what he’d
known from the moment he’d loved her, and most assuredly from the moment he’d
lost her, had been borne out every moment of every day since. All previous
loves had faded away for him, every time; he’d steel himself, seal away his
heart, mourn for a spell and then, done. No lamentations, no pain. Until her.
Until she’d shattered the stone with only a smile, and imprinted herself
eternally with a single kiss. He loved her more with each passing day. Had,
from the very first moment; would, until his very last breath. </span></i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
wind was howling but he staggered to his feet. He had to go on. He thought of
Emerson, who’d had a way of saying things. All that concerns me, is what I must
do. He might never be happy, not in the way he’d once dreamed; not in the way
he’d been with her. But what of it? The purpose of life, said Emerson, is not
to be happy. It is to be useful, to be honorable, to be compassionate. He would
try. He must. Anything less constituted a shameful ingratitude. A vanity mired
in self-pity, when a miracle lived before his very eyes, the miracle of her. He
should not curse the fates that she no longer loved him, but rather thank the
heavens that she ever had. To have lost the love of his life bore testament to
having found it, and that was more than many could ever say.</span></i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
loved her. And for this, he owed her everything, for even in her absence, she
remained forever close at heart. At his weakest, he thought he couldn’t be
happy without her, but with each passing day, with every step along his road,
he was learning. It wasn’t about his happiness, but hers. No matter the source.
He dropped to one knee, there on the mountain face, the wind all around him but
his own voice clarion at last: Let her be happy, I implore you. May
her world be love and light for she is all of these things herself. Love her,
please, and let the world love her too. As I will, with every breath and every
step, for the rest of my days.</span></i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">He
staggered back to his feet, for the path was steep and he was weary, and cinched his coat
up around his neck, and continued on.</span></i><span style="mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-28211996047510520052020-01-19T13:52:00.000-06:002020-01-19T13:52:52.243-06:00Once Upon a Midnight Dreary......I bet you know the next line, if not the rest.<div>
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Sometimes, we can point definitively to the locus of our inspiration, that precise moment our dreams crystallized and help set forth that road which--one way or another--we were destined to sojourn. Other times it is more elusive--we cannot recall any specific moment which set us upon this course, but nonetheless abide it, a covenant blood writ, and which courses though our veins. Indeed, when I'm writing I so often feel, <i>this is what I'm meant to do. </i><div>
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While I can't pinpoint an exact moment, I can attest how my father reading us Edgar Allan Poe stories when we were little, kindled and stoked my earliest literary embers. <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Murders_in_the_Rue_Morgue">Murders in the Rue Morgue </a></i>might have been the first, and to this day, my favorite. My first dabblings were in fact of the macabre variety, and I would be remiss if I did not today, on Poe's birthday, acknowledge the great master. Here's a look back at one of my favorite guest posts I was fortunate enough to pen on the terrific site of the wonderful KM Weiland. </div>
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Happy birthday, good sir; rest assured, you have through your work achieved immortality, and in this vein may I implore permission to adapt a hallmark phrase every slightly: quote the raven, forevermore... </div>
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<a href="https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/improve-your-writing/">https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/improve-your-writing/</a></div>
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Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-24591115750403213502020-01-11T15:12:00.000-06:002020-01-11T15:12:11.975-06:00A Strange Matter Indeed....<br />
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...That I might pen anything inspired by quantum theory. My kids know more about this stuff than I, mainly due to Marvel, but what can you do? Tickled that the great folks at Quantum Shorts published my flash piece on their great site. It's under consideration for one of their contests, but I'm up against many great writers and probably some quantum physicists and such, so likely a long shot for this wayward scribe, but I enjoyed researching the topic, and crafting this story. I hope you enjoy it.<br />
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<a href="https://shorts.quantumlah.org/entry/very-strange-matter-eliot-rover">https://shorts.quantumlah.org/entry/very-strange-matter-eliot-rover</a><br />
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Artwork by Tapilipa.Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-49400565997690652142020-01-01T17:14:00.000-06:002020-01-01T17:14:49.350-06:00A Single Flower: A Vision for the New Year<br />
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<span class="s2">He thought that in the beauty of the world were hid a secret. He thought that the world’s heart beat at some terrible cost and that the world’s pain and its beauty moved in a relationship of diverging equity and that in this headlong deficit the blood of multitudes might ultimately be exacted for the vision of a single flower.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Hindsight is 2020, but 2020 is the here and now, and as I ponder my own vision for this new year, I’m unsurprised that a McCarthy quote effervesces to mind. He’s my go-to, a scribe of such surpassing grit, eloquence and vision himself, that I emerge, unfailingly, inspired to write—more and better—after reading anything of his.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">2019 was eventful, personally and professionally. A new job, turned 50, a health scare, and my novel was at long last republished. Time plays large in the David Rose series, and it’s hard not to ruminate on it now, with numbers such as 2020 and 50, lurking about. I was scouring some writing contests today, and one was entitled, Old Writers Contest. Don’t say 50, I thought, don’t say 50(though part of me secretly was ok with the notion, inasmuch as I wanted to submit to the contest). Sure enough, 50. Doh! 50 = old, at least as writers go, apparently. Ah well, I’ve always felt old. (They say—whoever they are—it’s not how old you are, but how old you feel...to which I now reply: that’s not helping.) </span></div>
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<span class="s2">Alas, most writers are old souls, anyway, I think. Romantics, in our way, even if that’s not our chosen genre(most assuredly not mine—not that there’s anything wrong with that). But even purveyors of the rawest, grittiest prose—McCarthy could be considered among them—have their song to song, their verse to contribute, and want to—perhaps <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>need to—be read, and be heard. That what they feel, what they think, and the characters and tales who manifest it, might for the reader come alive upon the page, and evoke even a modicum of thought and feeling in turn.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">As we turn the page into a new year, I am, like so many of us, setting goals, and making plans. But no matter the goals, the plans, the lists, the numbers, it tends to always come back to that vision of which McCarthy wrote. When all’s said and done, it’s all that I hope for, what most, if not all writers hope for, I’d wager. That through the pain and the beauty, the blood, sweat and tears, the maddening writers’ block and intoxicating moments of epiphany, we might in the end, exact the vision of a single flower(or whatever that vision looks like for you).</span></div>
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<span class="s2">May your writing and your vision and your dreams bloom as you desire in this year ahead.</span></div>
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<span class="s2">Happy New Year, and thanks as always, for your support.</span></div>
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Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-64735608599118411822019-12-27T08:02:00.000-06:002019-12-27T08:02:50.082-06:00Update, The Awakening of David RoseHumbled to be a recipient of the Pinnacle Book Achievement Awards, as The Awakening of David Rose won in the best young adult fiction category. Grateful to Dave, Kirsten, Dale and the whole EP team.<br />
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<br />Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-17614436656541669402019-09-09T08:58:00.001-05:002019-09-09T08:58:56.586-05:00In the Armchair, Author InterviewGiddy to a be "in the armchair" on Nillu Nasser's wonderful blog. Nillu is the purveyor of exquisite, elegant prose, a fellow EP author, and, I am grateful to say, a friend.<br />
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<a href="https://nillunasser.com/2019/09/09/in-the-armchair-daryl-rothman/">https://nillunasser.com/2019/09/09/in-the-armchair-daryl-rothman/</a><br />
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<br />Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-33946023423172603792019-09-09T08:32:00.000-05:002019-09-09T08:34:17.055-05:00Writing's Secret Formula: How to Write Stories that MatterAlways an honor to write for the talented and unfailingly kind Katie Weiland.<br />
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Does writing have a secret formula? How do we craft stories and characters that people care about?<br />
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Here's my guest post on Katie's award-winning website:<br />
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<a href="https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-write-stories-that-matter/">https://www.helpingwritersbecomeauthors.com/how-to-write-stories-that-matter/</a><br />
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<br />Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-7799084819658029662019-09-09T08:12:00.000-05:002019-09-09T08:12:16.824-05:00Release Day: The Awakening of David RoseAt once exhilarating and humbling, this writing thing, but you just keep on truckin'. What a long, strange trip it's been.<br />
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Some 13 years after first conceiving it, and 3. 5 years after watching my first publisher go under the same week it originally launched, The Awakening of David Rose has been rebirthed, and I am grateful. I am blessed to be part of an amazing project team at Evolved Publishing, and I want to thank them profusely:<br />
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<a href="https://evolvedpub.com/team-member/editor/kirstin-anna-andrews/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) !important; background-color: white; color: #e35614; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s;" target="_blank" title="Editor"><strong>Kirstin Anna Andrews</strong></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> – Editor</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><a href="https://evolvedpub.com/team-member/editor/lane-diamond/" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) !important; background-color: white; color: #e35614; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s;" title="Editor"><strong>Lane Diamond</strong></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> – Senior Editor & Interior Designer</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><a href="https://evolvedpub.com/team-member/artist/d-robert-pease/" rel="noopener noreferrer" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1) !important; background-color: white; color: #e35614; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; text-decoration-line: none; transition: color 0.2s ease-out 0s;" target="_blank" title="Editor"><strong>D. Robert Pease</strong></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> – Cover Artist</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">It truly takes a village.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">EP is a great publisher who places quality first and I am thrilled they are down for the three-book D Rose series(I am hard at work on Book II, David Rose & the Forbidden Tournament).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">And I remain ever grateful to my children, who inspired the tale and continue each day to make me luckier than I deserve. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">I hope you'll read the book, and I hope you'll like it. I hope you'll consider going over to Amazon or Goodreads and leaving an honest review. I hope you'll perhaps tell a friend. Most of all, I hope you'll take a lesson from me, that it's never too late. Sure, deep down inside I retain a bit of that schoolboy wistfulness and wishfulness,that I might catch lightning in a bottle and hit it big, but I understand those are long odds, and I understand what's truly important: I have wanted to be a writer since childhood, and it means the world to me to have been blessed with the ability and circumstances to accomplish it, even all these decades later. I want my children to see that whatever their passion, whether they ever make a penny from it or achieve critical acclaim, they should never give up on their dreams.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Thank you, each of you, for your friendship and support. The Awakening of David Rose launches today:</span><br />
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<a href="https://evolvedpub.com/books/the-awakening-of-david-rose/">https://evolvedpub.com/books/the-awakening-of-david-rose/</a><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #1c1d1f; font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-35093138704416730092019-09-08T13:17:00.000-05:002019-09-08T13:17:40.725-05:00Descartes, with a Twist<br />
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">My advice to aspiring writers?</span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">Stop.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">Aspiring, that is. Just write.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">If you’re writing, you’re a writer. Spare me
the caveats, of which I’m well-aware: I’m an aspiring PROFESSIONAL writer; I’m
an aspiring PUBLISHED author. Fair enough. Say that, then. But if you’re a
writer, you know what I mean. It’s in your blood, in the agony and exhilaration,
the undeniable gospel which speaks to you when you hit your stride and know
this is exactly what you were meant to do. Whether or not you publish that
novel or hit it big or make a dime, in your heart of hearts, you know the truth,
that you’re a writer, and it is your calling. Ask not for whom the bell tolls.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">We are, as a community, conditioned to qualify
or downplay our standing, abilities and worthiness. Again, this largely tracks with
misguided definitions and determinants, sometimes intermixed with our own insecurities.
Maybe we need the old <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNx_gU57gQ4">Stuart
Smalley daily affirmation</a>, or just to lean into it a bit more and embrace
and celebrate this passion we harbor. Not everyone will get published; fewer
still will make serious bank or achieve critical acclaim. None of those things
is impossible, though. And it’s even more important to remember this: not
everyone can write. Others may judge (and yes, fear of this exacerbates our
writerly angst), but again, YOU KNOW. You are possessing of that fire and of
that gift and if for no other reason than to feed that hunger and follow your dream,
you owe it to yourself to heed that clarion call. The world will be better for
it, for you’ll have <a href="https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51568/o-me-o-life">contributed your
verse</a>. <o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">It’s okay to be afraid. But don’t succumb. “It’s
not the fear of writing that blocks people,” notes Scott Berkun, “it’s the fear
of not writing well; something quite different.” I struggle mightily with this
one. Struggle to abide knowingly producing junk, but that’s all the more reason
to stay at it, to keep writing (and reading), so that we may improve our craft.
Some scribes are possessing, it seems, of otherworldly talent—I wish I could
pen one sentence like Cormac McCarthy. In the end, however, I believe it more
often than not comes down to perseverance and pluck. “A professional writer,”
said Richard Bach, “is an amateur who didn’t quit.” Ray Bradbury cuts to the
quick: “You fail only if you stop writing.”<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">Perhaps Descartes wouldn’t mind a slight variation:
How about, I write, therefore I am. Writers write. It can be tough, for many
reasons. It can be a fight. But ignoring the call can feel akin to fighting the
very essence of who we are.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">My favorite nonfiction author is Erik Larson,
and he once proffered me the simple but sage wisdom that the key to this
writing thing was “completion.” So many of us—I am definitely culpable—begin projects
but never finish them, letting them languish or quitting or moving on to
something else (only to repeat the same process). I view these moments as small
tragedies, the birthing then abandonment of an idea, a character, a story—the extinguishing
of a small flame which, if properly kindled, had the potential to blaze a glorious
path. Larson also questioned my tendency to be working on multiple projects simultaneously,
urging me to focus on one at a time. He’s right—at least with me—it’s hard
enough to find/make time for one project, and meandering between and among
multiple at a minimum delays each, and can mitigate against the completion of
any.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">But here I return to my original exhortation: just
write. Even if completion or publication or accolade have no bearing upon your considerations.
Write because you are a writer. Because it can be downright maddening not to. “A
non-writing writer,” observed Kafka, “is a monster courting insanity.”<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">Life can be crazy enough. “After nourishment,
shelter and companionship,” said Philip Pullman, “stories are the thing we need
most in the world.” Hear hear. Nourish your writerly soul; don’t feed the monster.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<em><span style="color: #4b4949; font-size: 12.0pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 107%;">Write on.<o:p></o:p></span></em></div>
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ik3aCNxxu2g/XXVFBW8v5CI/AAAAAAAAERI/cRAgjLRjs-EdzZehV3rnXs8gFThu_W_OACLcBGAs/s1600/photo-1471107340929-a87cd0f5b5f3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1202" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ik3aCNxxu2g/XXVFBW8v5CI/AAAAAAAAERI/cRAgjLRjs-EdzZehV3rnXs8gFThu_W_OACLcBGAs/s320/photo-1471107340929-a87cd0f5b5f3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: nowrap;">Photo by </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/@aaronburden?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Aaron Burden</a><span style="background-color: whitesmoke; color: #111111; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; white-space: nowrap;"> on </span><a href="https://unsplash.com/search/photos/crazed-writer?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditCopyText" style="background-color: whitesmoke; box-sizing: border-box; color: #767676; font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "San Francisco", "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Ubuntu, Roboto, Noto, "Segoe UI", Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-decoration-skip-ink: auto; transition: color 0.1s ease-in-out 0s, opacity 0.1s ease-in-out 0s; white-space: nowrap;">Unsplash</a>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-89521627014708967522019-07-03T18:49:00.000-05:002019-07-03T18:49:24.303-05:00Dawn of the Lightkeepers: Prelude to the David Rose series.<i>The Awakening of David Rose </i>will be released September 9! Grateful to the <a href="https://evolvedpub.com/team-member/author/daryl-rothman/">EP team</a> and to everyone for their support.<br />
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Penned <a href="https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6Gh5ipKehcpMnJyVVluY1ZIU3M/view">this brief companion piece/prelude</a> a few years ago, and I recommend it before reading the novel.<br />
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Thanks all, and stay tuned for plenty more news to come!<br />
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<br />Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-72765073376278705912018-10-21T10:19:00.001-05:002018-10-21T10:19:15.854-05:00Making it Count....<br />
My first draft of <i>The Awakening of David Rose </i>was more than 100,00 words. Ultimately, I pared it down by about 1/4, which is kind of par for the editing course, but I remain amazed how we can indeed produce hundreds of thousands of words of prose--millions, really, in the life of many scribes--and still, so much boils down to a few key sections, be it the first page, or even first sentence, or even the query letter or (my nemesis) synopsis in which we must somehow and succinctly capture/convey the essence of all that work...<br />
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But that's the deal, right? Agents, publishers, and most importantly, readers, are not going to read a novel to decide if they want to read that novel. We have to hook them, and if and when they DO engage, we must keep them hooked, throughout the arc and journey of even a long and voluminous tale.<br />
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I have found writing short stories and micro/flash fiction, helpful toward that end. It helps me make it all count, and consider the flow and arrangement and impact and import of every single word. I know some novelists who don't care much for short fiction, but I find that reading it and writing it helps me distill things down to their essence, a habit which, even in long-form in a novel, is essential.<br />
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What do you think? Do you like short/micro fiction? Why or why not? What are some other lessons learned?<br />
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Here is a piece I was lucky to have published by the great folks at Amid the Imaginary. Hope you enjoy!<br />
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<a href="https://amidtheimaginary.wordpress.com/2016/11/01/2016-micro-fiction-contest-2nd-place-winner/">https://amidtheimaginary.wordpress.com/2016/11/01/2016-micro-fiction-contest-2nd-place-winner/</a>Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-44904648335002655802018-10-14T11:49:00.001-05:002018-10-14T11:49:58.217-05:00What's in a Word? <br />
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">What’s in a word?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Well, in a word, everything.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">In his terrific guide, <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Writing-Memoir-Craft-Stephen-King-ebook/dp/B000FC0SIM">On
Writing</a>, Stephen King shares this anecdote about James Joyce:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="color: #181818; font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-font-kerning: 18.0pt;">“A friend came to visit James Joyce one
day and found the great man sprawled across his writing desk in a posture of
utter despair.<br />
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James, what’s wrong?' the friend asked. 'Is it the work?'<br />
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Joyce indicated assent without even raising his head to look at his friend. Of
course it was the work; isn’t it always?<br />
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How many words did you get today?' the friend pursued.<br />
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Joyce (still in despair, still sprawled facedown on his desk): 'Seven.'<br />
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Seven? But James… that’s good, at least for you.'<br />
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Yes,' Joyce said, finally looking up. 'I suppose it is… but I don’t know what
order they go in!”<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Every word counts, of course, but I’m always struck that
an author can toil over 100,000 words throughout the journey of a manuscript,
but the fate of the thing might well rest upon the precise assemblage of a few
select components, such as the first sentence, or the last, or the climax.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">As for this latter piece, I struggled with mine in no
small measure for my YA/Fantasy novel, <a href="http://www.darylrothman.com/2018/05/a-rose-by-any-other-namedavid-rose-gets.html">The
Awakening of David Rose</a>, to be released in December by the great folks at <a href="https://evolvedpub.com/team-member/author/daryl-rothman/">Evolved Publishing.</a>
I needed it to pop, be compelling, but more than that, TO WORK. To fit, to
resonate, to ring true, and to set the path for all to come, not only in the denouement,
but the reminder of the series. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">A friend recommended some books where similar “awakening”
climaxes occurred, and the best of the lot was from the amazing Laini Taylor,
and her surpassing novel , <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8490112-daughter-of-smoke-bone">Daughter
of Smoke and Bone. </a>Her climactic scene
(and the book entire) worked marvelously, and while I don’t know if I nailed it
or not, I feel my climax works for my character, and my tale.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">And
now, he knew. Instinct had roused first, muscle memory springing to life in the
nick of time and resurrecting a swordsmanship centuries dormant. But now the
fog was lifting, memories shaking off their slumber. They burst the dam of what
had been his unawakened soul, and he clenched his eyes shut and steadied
himself as they flooded over and through him, time unraveling inside him like a
waterfall in reverse. Quick, blurring visions that did not stop but roared
past, defying resolution, until at last they slowed and images dropped into the
picture as though from a thousand different skies, contorting, twisting and
then interlocking with other pieces until the puzzle was complete.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">It is tempting, with scenes like this, to focus on writing
a cool, riveting scene, and while I hope I’ve done so, what matters most is
getting it right, placing the reader right there with David, in his head, and
in his heart, feeling and endeavoring to reconcile these things right along
with him. And just as important as conveying what happened, is laying that
groundwork, for what happens next.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">The
upward waterfall ceased, memories pooling in his mind like swirling eddies of
understanding. Marcel had spoken of it as a gift but also as the greatest of
burdens. No wonder; beneath the brimming exhilaration—the thrill of knowing he
held at his fingertips scintillating powers of untold lifetimes—was the growing
realization that along with the power came the pain. People dreamed of
immortality, spoke of it wistfully, but what they could not know was that
immortality at its core embodied the greatest frailties of the mortal world. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">I appreciate so deeply the amazing scribes who craft climatic
scenes with such inspiring prowess. I am excited about my December release, and
will keep you posted.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">So, what do you think? What is your favorite aspect of
a good climactic scene? What are the most challenging—and invigorating—aspects of
writing them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 150%;">Thank you, as ever, for your community, and support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br />Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-61704156846292105432018-10-13T18:44:00.000-05:002018-10-13T18:44:21.414-05:00Lessons from the Master: Considerations of Theme <br />
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Theme is one of the most essential elements of a good
story. The David Rose series is driven by several, including time, antipathy,
immortality, hope and coming of age. Much of my other work, including my
literary suspense manuscript, Cucariva, mines more sobering terrain, building
perhaps more than anything on the notion of lost love, and the fight to find
salvation, and the will to go on.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I fancy myself a decent hand at the written
word, but even though I’ve penned countless thousands, endeavoring to capture
the essence of this struggle, I can find no better than these by one of the
greatest writers of all-time(after the protagonist loses the love of his life):<o:p></o:p></div>
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<i>“He saw very clearly how all his life led only to this
moment and all after led to nowhere at all. He felt something cold and soulless
enter him like another being and he imagined that it smiled malignly and he had
no reason to believe that it would ever leave.”</i><o:p></o:p></div>
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Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses<o:p></o:p></div>
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Poignant prose, and it resonates within me, wholly and
eternally, more deeply than I wish it would. But its great for theme, anyway,
and theme is great for story.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I look forward to updating you soon about mine.<o:p></o:p></div>
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What themes to you most like to write, or read?</div>
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Thanks as always for your support!<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br />Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4309344547489073318.post-59121399763431078922018-07-05T20:44:00.002-05:002018-07-05T20:44:44.664-05:00...as a writer or a man...Working on edits for D Rose reboot, but also still intending to get <i>Cucariva </i>out there. A quick snippet...<br />
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The irony was hardly lost upon him, as a writer or a man,
that he had misapprehended entirely his own life story. Remained fixed, in
chapter and verse, in the bedrock gospel of his own heart, as the denouement
had eased past. She was long gone. Wasn’t it supposed to be easier by now? Wasn’t
time supposed to help?<o:p></o:p></div>
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Time. <o:p></o:p></div>
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He was its supplicant and its fool. She had moved on. Long
ago, and far. But not time nor reason nor even the most constituent flickers of
self-preservation, held a candle to his truth. It wasn’t just that everything reminded
him of her; everything <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">was </i>her. She
was the love of his life: not until the next one, not until he’d lost her, not contingent
upon having her, not contingent upon anything at all. And so time lent not the
slightest refuge, but served rather, with each passing moment, to merely strengthen
his resolve. <o:p></o:p></div>
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Not to one day win her back, for she was never his to claim.
But to simply love her. That if on one far day she called upon him, he would
not fail her. He would stand his post. And she would see that he’d been
standing it for time immemorial. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I have
been here all along, </i>he would tell her. <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">And
will always. All you need do is reach out your hand, and mine will find it. Stop
and hear the wind, and in it, my whisper. Read my words—these words—here, now,
and for always—for they are spoken for you, from that heart long since given
over. That heart whose inscription is yours, and yours alone. Indelibly,
eternally. The book lays open, the page unturning, and even if it should, the
next shall read likewise, and all in turn. Live your life, sweet girl, and if
you may find it in somewhere within you, take it into your own heart that you
are so very much loved…<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<br />Daryl Rothmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00061845717277969382noreply@blogger.com0