What I'm reading now 5/2/13 UPDATE

I've decided to do something a little different for these posts and write about my expectations for the book before I read it. From there I'll continue to speak about my feelings halfway through it, and what I think at the end. This way we can see if my expectations live up to the reality of the book throughout the reading experience.

***

With that said today I begin reading "Odd Thomas" by Dean Koontz. I know I'm a little behind the Odd bandwagon but I prefer to let the hype of books die down before I read them (unless they plan on making a movie of it, then I have to read it before the movie is released) and Odd Thomas had some pretty good hype. Obviously I haven't read it yet, but the impression I got from this whole book series is that Koontz was reminding people that he's still here (and that his name isn't Stephen King).  

I've read Koontz before and while I like his writing I share the common concern about his books held by many readers of his, which is that once he has a good idea he goes back to the well too many times (which seems like it may be the case with the various Odd books). However, despite those concerns I have high hopes for this first book of the series and we'll see after if I decide to read any of the others.

Update 5/13/13 I've read nearly half of the book, and as you can tell from the dates of this post, it's been slow going.  I haven't been too impressed with the book.  I was dangerously close to getting to my 75 page limit when the book suddenly picked up.  The first 50 or so pages are dry useless fodder Koontz uses to pad his word count.  After getting through those pages, the story begins developing and he'c crafted an interesting world for Odd Thomas.  Prior to reading the book, I was aware (and thus don't consider this a spoiler) that Odd had the ability to see dead people.  I wasn't sure of the nature of this or how this would play into the story, but obviously it'd be the main factor.  He's done some things to differentiate his version of this trope from other popular ones, such as The Sixth Sense.

While Koontz has created an interesting world for Odd to live in, he hasn't populated it with any persons of interest, except for his one friend Little Ozzie.  Odd had a famous ghost companion, that I won't ruin the surprise of, but before it seems his story could develop, he's removed from the book, at least temporarily.  I'm holding out hope that that he'll return before the end.  Reading the description of the antagonist, I'm sure that he was meant to be an interesting character, but I find myself pulled towards the happenings around him.

Certainly things will continue along a path that satisfies my curiosities, but I fear that Koontz won't be able to get out of his own way and let the story go where it wants to, as opposed to where he thinks it should.

Intro 5: The Anonymous Portrait

Although this was the 4th story I had published it was the first story I ever had accepted, and as such certainly holds a special place with me.  I'd like to think that even if it weren't the first accepted one, it'd still be one of my favorite stories just from a quality standpoint.

I read the call for submission from this upstart company asking for horror stories revolving around a found item, hence the title of the anthology "Look What I Found". The writing prompt intrigued me and I wanted to write something for it but I couldn't think of a fitting story that didn't seem like a rehash of a dozen other books/stories I've read.  Resigned to let this antho pass by I began writing something else, but more importantly, at the time I was reading Stephen King "The Reaper's Image" and while I truthfully can't remember much about that story the description of the mirror sparked an idea for "Look What I Found".  From there I was just in the zone, the way a basketball player can get on a hot streak, the story just flew out of me.

This is also probably a reason why I like this piece so much, that it was inspired by a Stephen King story, who is one of my inspirations. From the haunted mirror sparked the idea for "The Anonymous Portrait" a twisty tale of the past coming back to haunt you, although it may not always be your own past.

Without further delay, the intro to "The Anonymous Portrait"...

"Sir Riley, what a pleasant surprise. Thank you for gracing my humble establishment." Luis Feldman, proprietor of Feldman's Antiques is unaware that Sir Malcolm Riley is there by chance. His automobile broke down just outside and Sir Riley entered in an attempt to escape the heat.

"Stop your cobbling man. Money and a title doesn't make me a better person, nor is this a humble shop if it provides for you and yours." Sir Riley stands at an impressive 6'2" with a good 300 pounds of supporting girth. "Now, why don't you show me around your fine establishment, while I wait for my automobile to be repaired."

Luis didn't need any more of an invitation; he takes Sir Riley directly to his backroom of fine antiques that the average customer couldn't afford. Hoping to make his first sale in a fortnight, he begins rattling off the history of each item Sir Riley even momentarily pauses on. "Ah, that chest migrated to Baltimore by way of Rio Jaina, originally brought across the ocean during Columbus' fourth and final voyage.

Sir Riley replies more flippantly than Luis would have preferred, "hmm, interesting."

"If that doesn't suit your tastes, perhaps this credenza salvaged from the original White House when most of the interior was burnt beyond repair in 1814."

As it appears that Sir Riley's interest is piqued by the credenza, his attention is pulled through a doorway into what appears to be a closet. "What's in there? I'd very much like to explore that room if you don't mind."

Not wanting to outright refuse a man of stature like Sir Riley, Luis explains, "Ah, that is just a storage room for items labeled 'undesirables'. Nothing that would be of interest to a man of your wealth."

"Tsk, tsk. I didn't become a rich man by passing up a good deal. Consider this, if I don't find something of interest in there, I'll purchase the chest."

Unable to reject such an offer, Luis leads the gentleman through the clutter of coverless books, broken mirrors, scratched furniture, and....

"Who is that in this portrait?"

"Apologies sir, this is an unidentified portrait, by an unrecognizable artist. That is the reason it is among the undesirables. However, in this portfolio, there's a rare sketch by author H.P. Lovecraft."

Unable to pry his eyes from the painting, "No, you must tell me about this painting. I know this man, I cannot place his face but I undoubtedly know this man."

"I'm sorry sir, but I've done all the research I can, but the subject and artist remain a mystery. If you know this man, I dare say you may be the only person who does."

"Nonsense, why would you purchase a painting you knowingly couldn't sell?"

"Again sir, I must apologize, the painting was amidst a crate of paintings from a private collection. The bank auctioned off the entirety of the collection when Lord and Lady Williamson were found dead with no heirs."

"How did they die?"

"It appears each of your inquiries lead to another mystery I do not know the answer of."

Before Sir Riley can ask another unanswerable question, they are interrupted by his driver. "Sir, the automobile is operational. It needs extensive repairs, however it will return you to your home."

"Very good. Load this painting as well." Shaking Luis' hand, "Thank you for indulging my elderly curiosity Mr. Feldman. Please send me a voucher for three times your asking price, and not a penny less."

Well that seems innocent enough, right?  If you want to know how this becomes a horror story published in an anthology with such a creepy cover, you can purchase it at the usual spots; amazon.com, Joker's Child (located in Fair Lawn), and the AzarRising Mobile Bookstore (trunk of my car).

While this story was going through the editing process an interesting issue came up.  The editors didn't like that "Sir Riley" was referred to as 'sir'.  They read this as meaning he was a British royal 'sir' and as such must have been a UK citizen at the time the story takes places since the only person at the time to have dual citizenship was Winston Churchill.  I kindly pointed out that he was called sir only as a sign of respect, not as a title.  The editors weren't satisfied with this explanation and changed the title from Sir to Mr.

So that was my first clash with editorial, and honestly I didn't put up a fight.  The title wasn't a big deal to me, and again it was the first story I had accepted to be published, I didn't want to jinx it and/or ruin my standing with the editors for future publications, and it's a good thing too, I was published twice more with them.

Free Thoughts 4/26/13

A few days ago I was listening to music, can't remember if it was my headphones or while driving, but it really doesn't matter.  What's important is that whatever song it was had the phrase "straw dogs" in it.  And the reason this is important, or at least important to this train of thought I'm expressing, is that it made me think of the movies entitled... yup you guessed it "Straw Dogs".  This created two questions in my mind 1) what the hell 'straw dogs' means.  I'm sure I could do a quick Google search and find a definition of the term, if it is in fact a term.  And 2) why are some movies titled what they are, but this really isn't limited to movies.  The same could be asked of certain books, plays, and Lord knows how many songs have senseless titles.

Mind you, I have a smart phone and put it to use on a daily, if not hourly, but sometimes I prefer to learn things the old fashioned way.  I know I can easily search for the reason the movie is actually called what it is, but I'd rather watch it (eventually) and learn that way.

I extend that preference in other ways as well. I still have reference books on chemistry, psychology, kinesiology, and an encyclopedia of dictionaries, that has a bible dictionary, a crossword dictionary, medical dictionary, synonyms and antonyms.  It's a great source for pretty much anything you could ask for... prior to 1980.  Again, all this information could be found on the internet with a few clicks and keystrokes, and that's great for what it's worth, but sometimes I just really enjoy the hunt for knowledge and all the peripheral facts you pick up during your search.

Addressing the second question, there are just some movies/books for the life of me I can't think of the meaning behind the title.  My favorite book for instance, "A Clockwork Orange", the title is never used in the book (or movie) and I'm pretty sure the word 'clockwork' was never used.  I've recently searched for the meaning, and found that Anthony Burgess has given multiple reasons and meanings behind the title, but none of them are explicitly described in the book.  Same goes for "Reservoir Dogs", none of the characters ever refer to themselves as such, nor is the word reservoir nor dogs ever used in the movie.

I'd like to think that the titles I use not only make sense, but are explained within the story, even the abstract ones.

If you have any other examples of oddly titles books/movies mention them in the movies...

Post 100! Poll 1!

AzarRising has been around for several years, and the past two years in particular have seen a lot of activity with my first acceptance through my ninth published piece.  And today we've hit 100 posts.  I wanted to do something special for this momentous post, so for the first time you can choose what I write next.  You'll notice just below the creepy eye looking at you when you visit the page there's a poll (also a first!) with three options for my next story that I'll write and submit for publication in a new publishing company. Now do your patriotic duty and vote!

Depending how this poll turns out I'll have more in the future. So don't forget to vote

What I'm Reading Now 4/9/13 UPDATE

This book has long been on my to read list, and it's finally worked its way up the list.  I've long been excited about reading it, but wanted to let the hype die down before getting into it. Here it is...

Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card

I've owned this book for several years, even lent it out for about a year to a cousin, but just got around to reading it.  My cousin who borrowed the book loved it, this became one of his favorites instantly, which built on the hype I've heard of for this book.  That hype caused me to delay in reading it.  Much like a movie every one of your friends sees and likes thus setting an impossible bar to attain, so goes the reading experience for me.  

Originally published in 1985 the novel is based off of a short story Card published in 1977, and is about a boy nicknamed Ender in a future Battle School orbiting the planet training to defend Earth from a third alien attack.  All the kids at the school are recruited at young ages but Ender was the youngest yet at about 6 years old.  The commanders at the school believe Ender to be capable of leading the human army to victory when the alien Bugger army inevitably returns.  

I'm about halfway through, and am enjoying the book.  It's well written with some interesting original (for it's time) ideas.  There are several issues I have with the book, mainly being that there's been no real conflict.  Everything Ender has gone up against has been a laughable challenge you, as the reader, know he's going to make it out of.  I fully believe that this looming threat of the Bugger army is going to be saved for one of the subsequent books (of which there are more than a few) leaving the only climax in this book to be graduating Battle School, and of course he will have to for there to be other books.  This lack of challenge has made Ender an uninteresting character to read.  He starts the school off as the perfect soldier, and quickly becomes the perfect army leader within the school despite the teacher breaking the rules to challenge him more differently than any other squad leader.  

The charm of the book comes from the other characters that he interacts with.  He leaves a sister and brother behind on Earth who are proving to be more involved in the story than the early chapters wold have you believe.  At the school he makes some friends, enemies, and (though I hate the term) frenemies. 

I'm passed the halfway mark, and look forward to the conclusion, no matter how predictable it may be.

UPDATE

Color me surprised, the ending was not what I expected.  In the final chapters it became evident that my earlier assumption was incorrect and what the ending was, made me really like this book. I find it unfortunate that you have to read through a couple hundred pages of predictability to get to the enjoyable ending, but if you stick with it, you'll enjoy it.

Prior to the ending I was going to rate the book lower, however as it stands now I'm giving it a "Cover to cover"


If you like science fiction, I definitely recommend reading this book.  I've heard word that some of the superlative books are also worth the read, and whenever I get around to them I'll let you know what I think.  

Rating System

If you've been following the blog you'll know that I've been posting reviews of books that I'm reading.  What I plan on doing is beginning to give a rating for these books, but anyone who knows me, knows I don't do anything normal, so here's how it'll go;

1) Inside Flap = This book is so bad you should stop reading after the inside flap, and save your money and time.

2) Chapter 2 = One and done.  The book's premise showed potential, but the writing killed any upside before getting to the second chapter.

3) Page 75 = This is typically reserved for books opposite than Chapter 2's.  The writing is at least good enough to keep you going longer than you should, but the plot ruins any hopes, and you just need to stop reading before you get sucked in past the point of no return.

4) Cover to cover = Book was well written with an engaging story, and will leave you satisfied once you close it for good.

5) Multiple Reads = The only thing better than reading and liking a book, is finding a book you enjoy reading more than once.  This doesn't happen often and isn't a rating I expect to use often.

What I'm Reading Now 3/13/13 UPDATED

Although I haven't written about it, I assure you I've read several books since my last (and first) installment of this.  I've been negligent about posting on the blog the past few months, but I've renewed my vigor and plan on posting here more often.  And in that vein, here's what I'm reading now...

Heat Wave

by Richard Castle

"Heat Wave" is the first novel by Richard Castle from the TV show 'Castle'.  Basically the premise of the show is that a mystery author follows a homicide detective as a muse to his new character Nikki Heat.  I really enjoy the show, and I always felt it'd be beneficial to have a relationship with an officer to answer questions that arise while writing.  

So "Heat Wave" is proposed to be the character Richard Castle's, played by Nathan Fillion, first book about the detective he follows, Kate Beckett.  ABC published the book through a sister company as a joint effort.  It's a great marketing strategy that promotes each other, and convinced me to pick up this book.  

Real word murder mysteries aren't my typical foray, and with that said I don't think I'd have kept reading it, however I most enjoy trying to piece together what parts of the books are inspired by the show.  

While the writing is better than I was expecting, I feel it's relying too much on the gimmick of the premise rather than the writing.  Initially I wasn't very happy with it at all thinking the characters didn't seem too analogical to the characters in the show.  Primarily the main character seemed out of place being over-sexualized.  It wasn't until a friend explained that the characters were written as Richard Castle would have liked to see them in the first season of the show, and that in the subsequent books better portrayed the characters.  

It may seem trivial reading it here if you haven't watched the show, so let's focus on the actual story within the book.  Jameson Rook is a celebrity journalist following homicide detective Nikki Heat during a murder investigation.  I won't give away details of the plot but it seems run-of-the-mill to me, and as I said earlier the actual talent of the writing is fair.  As you'd expect there's the inevitable false leads, twists and incorrect accusations. I will say the best element of the writing is the humor the characters find in the random situations they find themselves in (much like in the show).  There's enough to the book and the writing to keep me reading it, however I'm not too sure I'll be picking up the next book in the series.  We'll see once I've finished this one.

Update:

I've since finished the book, and while it was good for what it is, it is not my type of story.  Obviously, I knew this was a real world mystery from watching the show it's based on, I kept waiting for a supernatural element.  This is of course no fault of the book or the author, who did a good job of translating the characters from the show into inspirations for a book series.

For me there's some disconnect between current mysteries and the hardboiled noir from the 40's and 50's that originates in the difference in eras.  Being a part of this internet age, reading a detective hit the bars and clubs with a cigarette in mouth wherever he goes, beating up goons without abandon in a manner a modern detective could never do is like reading a time travel story.  Modern mysteries are more like watching the news tied too much in the legality of their actions.  That probably says more about my own damaged psyche than the current state of literature, but to get back on point, that's a major factor in my feelings for this book.

At this point, I'm going to pass on picking up the next novel, however if you're a fan of the show Castle, or of crime mysteries, I recommend picking this up.  

Intro 4: "Remember Me"

The following is the beginning of my most controversial published story (to date).  I'm going to save the description until after the intro, so read on;

Remember Me

Alex Azar

Monday January 3^rd 2011, 3:03 AM

Martin Jackson Jr., the star wide receiver for the Philadelphia Bald Eagles, is used to running these streets of his hometown, but when he was a youth and not so late at night.  Now he’s running for his life as he’s chased by a bald madman wearing glasses, who is steering a horse drawn stagecoach.  The chase started after Martin’s car was forced off the B.F. Turnpike by the wagon.  Something apparently no other drivers seemed to notice.

After slipping on some fresh snow, the chase has ended for Martin and his pursuer.  The metal rimmed wheel of the stagecoach runs over Martin’s lower back, cutting all synaptic communication to his legs.  After running the football player over the horse circles around only to trample his neck, sending agonizing pain throughout his body before all feeling leaves his body. 

Standing over Martin’s limp body the bald man raises his walking stick and shouts, “Remember me!” before beating in Martin’s head; the hit smashes his nose, and sends bone shards into his brain.  The second blow ruptures his right eye socket, bursting his eye with it.  The third, and ultimately final, strike caves in Martin’s skull, ending the pain he was unable to emote.

The bald man rides away on his stagecoach after placing a bouquet of small purple flowers.  The wagon disappears into the night leaving behind no tracks.

“It’s a damn shame.” Detective Colyn Whyte proclaims as he watches the football star bagged and loaded in the coroner’s van. 

Shocked at his partner’s uncharacteristic emotional display, no matter how minor, Detective Kevin Shepps agrees, “Yea, the kid was young, he had a great career in front of him.  When I was still a beat cop he was a kid growing up in these parts.  He kept his nose clean, but always hung with some regular juvies; he could have gone down a bad path.”

“Huh? Yea that and I had five hundred on Sunday’s game.  They’re sure to lose without him, and that’s if they even play.”

Disgruntled at Whyte’s amoral response, “You always have a knack for making things about you.”

“Blow me cupcake.  Round up all traffic surveillance footage in a mile radius from here and also where his car was located.  God night, and give Jeff a kiss for me.”

“Fuck you.”

***

That Friday Detectives Whyte and Shepps are on the defensive from the verbal attack of their lieutenant.  “I’m telling you this murder makes no sense.  It was a cold case before the snow covered up his blood.  We’ve got no footage from the area Jackson’s body was found, and street surveillance by his car shows him erratically driving off the shoulder, and then him inexplicably running away.”

“Listen Whyte, we need to wrap this yesterday.  We’ve got a star athlete who grew up on these streets, went to college here and played pro-ball here, perceived as a role model the whole while.  Philly doesn’t get these kinds of legacy celebrities, and now the media is up my ass to get this in the books.”

Detective Shepps decides to chime in, not so much to support his partner, but so the lieutenant would remember he’s in the room also, “But lieutenant Colyn’s right.  Even the tox report came back clean.”

Shepps’ plan back fires as the lieutenant does turn his attention to him, and scolds “Shut up Shepps.  I don’t know why you’re still with this guy, but don’t drown in his shit.”

Most of the weekend passes with little communication between the partners.  Kevin spent the majority of it with his life partner trying to figure out his next move professionally.  What the lieutenant said made him reevaluate his career and current rank of gay stereotype underappreciated sidekick to Colyn, the precinct wash up.

“Honey, if you’re career is at a standstill, you need to request a transfer.  From what the lieutenant said, it seems like he’d understand and grant it.”

Resting his head in Jeff’s lap Kevin looks up and with concern replies, “But if I can’t close this Jackson murder, I’ll never get assigned a real case again.”  The half hour conversation continues cyclically for another fifteen minutes before the two go to bed.  Unfortunately, sleep doesn’t easily come to Kevin’s worried mind.

The same can’t be said for Colyn, who was aided to a dreamless slumber by a fifth of Jack, a routine of his that’s repeated most nights of the week.

***

 Monday January 10^th 2011, 4:12 PM

John Luther Briggs Jr., the youngest African American senator ever has taken the day to spend with his daughters, who are currently flying kites in Franklin Park on this record breaking warm day.  A day made more special following so soon after the recent snow storm.  “Girls careful your lines are going to get tangled.”  Sure enough moments later the kites form a single entwined braid.  The wind picks up tugging the strings out of Sue and Linda’s hands.  Quickly grabbing hold, John Luther prevents the kites from flying away.  Trying to untangle the airborne toys he doesn’t realize the twin twine lines have begun to wrap around him.

...




If you want to read about what happens to John Luther Briggs Jr., and what caused Martin Jackson Jr's untimely demise, or why one story has three Juniors in it (yes there's a third) buy the anthology Obsession from Static Movement Press pick it up at Amazon.com.

Several years ago there was a call for submissions, from a now defunct publisher, asking for gory horror stories related to a holiday, the more obscure the holiday the better.  I looked at a calender of all the holidays and found that two holidays were on the same day that year, 2011, so I decided to write a story about both. Telling you which two holidays they are will give away certain details about the story and the mystery surrounding the deaths.  So pick up the book and find out what the holidays have to do with a dead white guy, dying black guys, a talent-less detective, and a transvestite that has a bigger secret than one might think.

Quote 2

There are few, if any, situations in life where a well timed joke is inappropriate, it's only a matter of finding the right joke to tell.

sexy freaks hot chicks wallpapper hd

I wish I could explain the history of this blog, more specifically the viewing history of the stats I've seen.  I've posted one entry a month since October yet in the past month the blog has had views from some pretty random countries, such as; Germany, Poland, China, Libya, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia. These are all countries I've never been to, nor even know anyone there, but still some how my blog is getting views from them. Below is a map with all the countries that viewed the blog in the past month highlighted.

And just for shits and giggles since it's about the end of the year, here's a map with the top ten countries that viewed the blog for the entire existence of the blog, dating back to May 2008.  It'll be interesting to see if there's any difference in this map at the end of 2013.


One of the stats I'm most proud of is that nearly a dozen people (or one person 12 times) were directed to the blog from the UK's "#1 Adult Social Network".

But the real reason for this post is the searched keywords that brought someone to the blog this month. "sexy freaks hot chicks wallpapper hd".  You read that correct spelling mistake and all.  Out of curiosity I searched that 'phrase' I guess you can call it and the first page of results from Google was for a site called 'bikesbabesandrides.com'  Now the interesting thing is, I went through 10 pages of results and still didn't find anything linking to azarrising.blogspot.com, which I wouldn't have expected to.  But it begs the question, how  that search resulted in a blog view for me.  In any case, I hope whoever the searcher was, wasn't too disappointed when they stumbled across my literary world.

And I know now that I posted this, with those keywords written in a post along with that biker website, I'll be getting a lot more of these random views.  Anything to help spread the words of Azar (that's me).