Authors Dish Archives - Author K. Williams

Patriotism Doesn’t Depend Upon It – Open Book Blog Hop #50

May 30, 2016 By Captain Maiel 3 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #50

Memorial Day

Welcome back to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop! If you’re new to the series, the authors included are always grateful for your reads and appreciate, even more so, when you share our writings with your friends. If you’re new to the series, welcome aboard. The authors will engage and impress you weekly, so be prepared to become a regular reader.

Where do I begin? I mean, I have political beliefs (that this holiday has been blown way off course of where it should be by those competing to prove their patriotism) and I have my be a kinder person beliefs that seeks to give quarter to others should they deserve it or not. Is that kindness? Or is that just a desire not to kick the hornet nest?

I dislike parades, but I don’t begrudge anyone who enjoys them. I don’t see much sense in dragging people out to walk down the road to a drum beat. I should really check out where this even came from as a human practice. My head just filled with Monty Python skits and I’m getting distracted…

Being the child of a veteran who refuses to acknowledge his veteran-ship because he didn’t serve overseas during a war, I can be super prickly about the holiday. Dad raised me to respect men in uniform at the same time that he told me to be mindful that not everyone who wears one deserves to be honored. There are bad people all over. He taught me to see them clearly and either steer clear or put them in their place, depending. I was his scraper. The one he put in the giant tire and pushed down the hill until my mom yelled at him. I love my dad, even when he gets jerky (I can be jerky, too).

My Godfather, my dad’s best friend, was a Vietnam vet. He was an amazing uncle. I am friend with his children, which we accept as cousins. They are. Blood or not. We are family. I remember when Skip scared the crap out of me with a gorilla mask on Halloween, I was like three. He and his wife were the perfect couple. I have so much respect for him. Uncle Skip had no respect for wannabes. I agreed with him heartily on this. So many sign up our young men and women to go and get them killed for their profit, and they never stick their neck out. Then there are those who play Army, talking crap about the government and other Americans, blasting women and minorities for daring to breath American air and walk on American soil. I don’t get it. And, I don’t get why they think they respect our military more than anyone else, when they are so willing to sacrifice them (either to make profits for corporations like Halliburton, or leaving them out in the cold when they get back).

My grandfather served in the Merchant Marine, lying to get in, for World War II. His brother, family on my mom’s side, all served.

I had wanted to, but I was aware, because of my dad, the risk I took in so doing and I chose to write and wrangle with politics instead. That’s its own war, with lots of pseudo and actual heroes. Perhaps that is why I am a bit reserved, as to not like parades and flag waving. I think it’s also in that I was taught to question and to examine–and that my education (I studied politics in film and the industry) showed me the real faces and ugly truths behind a lot of things. That gets questioned by a lot of people who have no place questioning me, because they’re angry or stubborn or locked in to save face (but ride around with giant flags on their trucks/cars and t-shirts because that is somehow more meaningful). I keep on fighting, so that maybe one day, we won’t send soldiers to be killed for corporate profits, and then we won’t send them at all, because we’ve grown past our violence realizing that cooperation not competition, that love and not hate is the real way and truth.

I hope this has made some sense and hasn’t been a rant! LOL

Let’s hop on over to see how the other authors tackle outlines…

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An Alarm is Raised, Interview with Captain Maiel – Open Book Blog Hop #26

November 4, 2015 By Captain Maiel 9 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #26

Interview a character from your book. Why did you choose this character?

Hi, everyone and welcome to The Blue Honor Blog from whence you came.

Today on the blog I’ll be interviewing Captain Maiel, of Eden, Zion. She’s a commander of a military unit under the designation Moon Order. Her commanding presence, reaching just over seven feet in height is disarming, along with those eyes of lurid blue and brilliant red hair. This doesn’t even mention the wings! Today she is dressed in the plainclothes uniform of her order, a subtle toga-styled gown in cream with the order penannular (that’s a brooch of sorts, fitted with nano-tech that houses her active duty uniform—that uniform is very Greco-Roman in design—see the figure on the left) fixed on her left shoulder. Ever at her side is Leader Argus, a wolf who serves the legions in her unit. Despite his formidable appearance, he is laying by the Captain’s chair as sweetly as a pup.

Good afternoon, Captain. It’s a pleasure to have you with us today.

Thank you for having me. (She replies in a tone that evokes the power behind her command and absolute confidence. Her eyes seem to glow as I’m weighed and measured.)

Well, let’s get right in it then. Now that you’re back from what many are calling a crisis of conscience, how do you view your contribution to Zion’s armies and how your life has been so far?

My contributions are on record, and I have been ordered a penance for my disobedience to rank by General Mikhael himself. One must also consider that I was able to return a fallen member of my order, something that was not accomplished in the two-thousand years he roamed Earth. I’d have expected a contingent to be deployed to Samsara sooner—(she exhales, amused, if not somewhat abashed by her strong feelings on that matter). My life is getting back on track and any doubts I once harbored in my commanders or the king are all resolved.

All of them?

She nods, with a knowing smirk. I’m digging into private and military affairs that are rather wrapped up in government secrecy.

Let’s move on. Rumor has it that your husband, who is a human, entities who frequent the Samsaran realm on Earth (where I live), may be fighting a burning down? Is that true?

I would not be too hasty with a rumor mill. Dominic has paid dearly for the rumors swirling around us. It should also be noted that there is prejudice toward the mixing of races and many view humans as clever apes. Because of this, he has struggled for many years, but is achieving his rising.

Indeed, Captain. I’m glad to help you clear the air about that. Speaking of air—I see you have a new companion.

Oh, yes, this is Pallus, he was given to me by one of the cloister Powers. He’s been trained to assist my unit with reconnaissance and intelligence.

Wow, and I thought he was just a barn owl. Does he speak, too? Like your friend Argus, here?

Pallus is barely hatched, she muses, stroking his feathers. He’s still learning communications with other species, but he does all right. You may not recognize how he talks, per se. Whereas Argus has learned speech and transmits it telepathically, Pallus is still working in images.

May I touch him?

Only if you have a cookie to offer. She scoffs, playful. Relieving my tension. He’s quite sensitive to touch because of his feathers and it can be unsettling for him. Moving the owlet down her arm, the Captain presents her companion. If you scratch him lightly, just here, he will warm to you.

I gently press my fingers into the thick feathers of the bulb of his head, and give a little scratch. The bird yawns, tilting his head aside, and seems to appreciate the touch. As I pull my fingers back they tingle with the energy these Zionites give off.

Amazing. What is that feeling?

Atman. His energy or being.

I’m sorry? Can you explain that a bit more.

Atman is the true state of all life. It’s energy rather than matter, although matter is energy.

But you have form.

Yes, we all do, to the perception of others. It is our perception that forges the reality in which we live. For instance, in your realm, you must wear these bodies—skin suits, my son calls them. They’re a phenomenal bio interface machine that allows you to utilize this plane to discover the very depths of your atman and rise into greater states of being.

Rise? Do you mean grow? Are we changing into things? My body isn’t real?

Oh, your body is real, to this plane of existence, at least. However, it’s just a machine your consciousness directly or indirectly attaches to for a short time as you run exercises. We’re all changing, all the time. Just as now you’re becoming more aware of things that are, expanding your perception.

I stare for the longest time, thinking she’s mad, but I can see her wings and the size of her. She’s not of my world. That much is obvious. She’s something that gave rise to the myths of heaven and hell in our world. Our ancestors knew of them, and wrote of them and I swear if I touched her my hand would pass through her flesh, but she’s so solid looking at the same time. Then, a dark shape scurries behind the Captain’s chair. My heart races. The wolf at her side rises, a growl low in his throat. She touches his haunch and he sits, keeping a close eye on the same corner I saw that thing retreat to.

This is what the Zionites call a wraith.

What the hell was that?

That is an imp. A little bit of trouble. Nothing to worry over. I will clear him when we’re done.

An imp? (I see it again and gasp). What the hell?

They’re around you all the time. They’re formed from your energy, dark energies that bog you down. Like a poison gas it seeps through the world. At first they’re simply annoying. A lamp falls over as it bumps a table trying to hide from the Captain it has now spotted. It seems terrorized by her mere presence, something I can relate to. He’ll make you spill your coffee, or trip you in the hall to embarrass you in front of a young man you’ve grown a fancy to. But, given time, they grow, feeding off your hate and distress. They can become a haunting, moving things about the rooms, giving you nightmares, attacking you.

I’ve woken up recently with scratches on the back of my shoulder. I’ve had bruises before—are you telling me—

Yes, you probably have grown a rather large one. Have you lived here long? You could have also inherited one from a former tenant. If you don’t have a cat, that is.

Footsteps creep on the stairs. It’s too timely but I’m already startled. I don’t own a cat, no. The apartment is old. So many thoughts racing.

I will take care of it, she assures me.

So then, Zion isn’t the only world that has access to ours?

She raises her eyebrow at this, as if I have not been paying attention in class the whole time.

Read Captain Maiel’s entire harrowing tale in The Shadow Soul by K. Williams

These—these imps, you call them, are they from Jahannam?

No. They come from you, emanations of your bad energies. They can become marditavya if they grow great enough. Most just form small and make up herds as an atman regresses to the darkness. Then they become your servants.

I thought you said we were rising.

Many of you are. Many of you are falling. There are shadows here too. Darkness is always on the edge, willing you to do bad, to regress and find your destiny with Jahannam.

Is there nothing that can stop it?

You are guarded, but ultimately it is your decision if you will rise or fall.

My heightened state of panic is not eased as creeping and noises start to prick my ears from around the house. It was just me and the Captain at this interview when we started and now I have a sense that so many more are present.

I fear asking you to embellish.

Each soul, that is your kind, animal kind and so on, is guarded by a legiona who is tasked with ushering you toward your rising. Everything you do in this life is meant to direct you toward that end, but sometimes, there is a crack—a fissure—in the crystal that distracts the will and puts more focus on the darker aspirations. Some souls desire the dark, and must find their rising by first falling.

I feel like I’m finally calming down, focused on what she has said when a metal pan falls in the kitchen, clanging across the floor as though the witch had just struck the tinman down. No, Dorothy, you’re not in Kansas anymore. My heart thrums as I wait for something to emerge from the swinging kitchen door. Then I see a hulking winged brute near my chair. Leaping to my feet, I regard him with wild eyes.

Your guardian, my interviewee tells me.

I suppose I should find comfort in that he isn’t a demon.

Indeed, but now that you know the truth—the shades will seek you. Keep the secret from those who would do you harm. Your discernment will be your guide. The dark is forever at your door step, biding the time you leave your soul unlocked and it will snatch you away. But share this gift with those who must know. They must be warned.

The captain hands me what looks like a small penannular with a triangle and eye on it.

You’re one of us now.

I accept the gift and close out the interview. The winged pair clear the room of the intruders and the light seems to lift, as if a curtain had partially been drawn over the windows at their arrival. I look to see Argus staring up at me. He seems amused by my duress, but gives my leg a nuzzle before trotting off to his commanders call.

Learning the truth about our world—our worlds—nothing will ever be the same…

Click on over to Traci Wooden-Carlisle’s blog to see which character she has to share.

Born in Los Angeles, California, Mrs. Wooden-Carlisle desired to be a poet and novelist at the age of 11. Today, Mrs. Wooden Carlisle lives in San Diego with her husband, serving as a church Office Manager, teaches fitness classes, celebrates her faith through dance, and is currently writing her third book in the Christian-fiction series, Promises to Zion. Check out her other books here.

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Opposites Attract on Film – Open Book Blog Hop #25

October 28, 2015 By Captain Maiel 7 Comments

♦Welcome to another edition of the Open Book Blog Hop!♦

Topic #25

Share and tell why you like a favorite movie–perhaps a classic and/or one more recent.

I’m the founder of the deviant Art Group dAFilmSpot. You can find me on that site under KWilliamsPhoto.

Well isn’t this just up my alley? For those who are new to my blog, I obtained a master’s degree in film studies and screenwriting in June 2014. I have a lifelong love of film and attempted to write scripts in high school. After undergraduate studies (English and History), I taught myself the proper format and techniques for screenwriting, so that I could adapt books. That was what led me to eventually seek a graduate level degree in the art form. I simply love film. It has taught me a great deal about being able to deconstruct just about any text (texts being a catch all term for just about everything). I used the theories of semiotics and intertext to frame most of my work.

Currently, I am working on optioning the adaptation of my second novel, OP-DEC: Operation Deceit with a producer. My focus in grad school was on the adaptation of novels and my final project was the difficult task of adapting my own work for film. Placing a producer would be the culmination of all that work.

As you can imagine, with this known, my love of film is of great interest to those who interviewed me in the past. What we have found is that it’s hard to nail down just one film that stands out above all others for me. The reason is that when we talk film we’re talking about those films I studied intimately and from which I learned the craft. They’re each special. The, almost all films (and television) that I watch now, whether old or new, have much more profound meaning. Once you learn theory, your mind is opened up and views things from so many angles and the intertexts add richer depth. Everything becomes fascinating. That said, there are indeed two films that stand out. This pair has brought me the most emotional investment of any of the films I have watched yet (although, the trailer for the new Star Wars brought a tear to my—I am so stoked!). As much as I love and talk up Insidious and Inception and how my thoughts are set on fire by them, these other two films truly hold my heart.

So what are they?

I know! These films are on opposites ends of the spectrum; at least, at first glance. First of all, one is shot in black and white and celebrates the heyday of the silver screen, spoofing Universal’s great monster flicks of the 1930s. Mel Brooks directed and Gene Wilder wrote. The team was perfection. The other film is technicolor, not literally, but figuratively. The footage is shot in rich and startling color that is achingly alive. The reason for the format is the film posits that heaven is what each person envisions. In this case, Chris sees heaven as being inside of his wife’s paintings. As an artist, this touches my heart deeper than anything I have watched.

Though these films are different on the surface, they do have things in common. The main similarity ties into my background. The films are both adaptations of amazing books: Mary Shelley‘s Frankenstein and Richard Matheson‘s What Dreams May Come. I have not had the privilege yet to read Matheson’s work, but it is well loved already by many fans: “a classic novel of love after death, from one our greatest fantasy writers” (Amazon Reviews). It asks, on the surface, one of the greatest questions to puzzle humanity, and is something I have been fascinated by throughout all of my studies. That preoccupation with a great beyond finally spilled over into my own fantasy/sci-fi series.

The films at the top of my list reflect me in many ways, from my comedic antics and colorfulness, to the presence of twins (I’m a Gemini), the artistic imagination on fire, homage to books, films reflecting on themselves and so on. I could go on a lot more about these two masterpieces but you have plenty more reading to do throughout the hop, so I’ll let you go to check out those other entries (see the links below).

Before you go, check out author Stephany Tullis…

Stephany Tullis‘s life changed dramatically in the fall of 2008. When her oldest son asked, ‘why don’t you just write a book? Do what you love to do?’, after a few weeks of thought, she decided to give it a shot.

From inception to publication, Stephany worked for four years on her first novel, The

Master’s Plan, A Novel About Purpose. When thinking about how much she continually enjoys reading her debut novel, she writes, “I still laugh at all my favorite chapters and have yet to decide who is my favorite or least liked character. It’s amazing! I was able to spin a tail around two frameworks that have had a major influence on my life: church and government politics. In writing The Master Plan, I was reminded of what a blessed life I have had and that despite what appeared to be very dismal circumstances, I was able to use my creativity and love of writing in a different way. Truly, I can see and believe, it was all part of a master plan.”

Stephany Tullis graduated from Russell Sage College with a Masters in Public Service Administration. She is the recipient of several leadership and career related rewards. She continues to consult for not for profits and lives in Georgia with her family. Check out her books! She’s from Upstate New York too!

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What’s Your Dream Holiday, Author? Open Book Blog Hop #13

July 14, 2015 By Captain Maiel Leave a Comment

‘Do you like to read? Wouldn’t you like to know more about your favorite authors? Well you came to the right place! Join the MMB Open Book Blog Hop each Wednesday and they will tell all. Every week we’ll answer questions and after you’ve enjoyed the blog on this site we’ll direct you to another. So come back often for a thrilling ride! Tell your friends and feel free to ask us questions in the comment box.’

Topic: It’s the time of year for vacations (Holiday for our UK friends). Share your favorite vacation, your dream vacation or anything in between.

Thanks for stopping by. I hope you enjoyed P.j. MacLayne‘s response to the topic of dream vacations, and maybe found a new interesting book to read from her library.

This is an easy one for me to dream about and discuss happy memories. I can’t think of a better vacation I’ve had than those going to Walt Disney World Orlando. Simply had the best time there, every time. I was lucky my family was able to afford these vacations every few years for me and my brother. My mom is an absolute Mickey addict. They share a birthday (November 18), so, of course.

My fondest memories are of the Haunted Mansion, The Peter Pan Flight, Snow White’s and Mr. Toad, but also EPCOT–Figment and the Spaceship Earth–tortured by the Land. I think about any of these and my mind gets all excited and tumbles forward all the memories of all the rides. Haunted Mansion is my absolute favorite, to the point that one year, when I went there with a friend of mine, I made him ride it like 6-7 times in a row. It was the Mickey’s Not Scary Halloween Party, and the Mansion was tricked out. Epic. If I could have my urn placed here, I would.

I would like to see the world, so to speak, as well. I want to go to China very badly. I’d love to see New Zealand. I am considering a post retirement extended stay in Germany, which I would need to save for starting now (15 years to make it a blow out). I’ve been to Ireland, and would love to return. On my list are my heritage places: Wales, Netherlands and Italy. It would be nice to see where the families came from that eventually produced me.

Disney’s EPCOT can give you a tiny glimpse into these places (not the Netherlands, unfortunately, and Wales is a side thought souvenir shop). I’ve eaten at the Italian restaurant and watched masked musicians play the cello int he courtyard. I’ve enjoyed the gardens in the China pavilion. Seeing the drum display for Japan was inspiring. Eaten fish and chips at the Rose and Crown. Watched Fireworks from Mexico. Eaten desert and shopped culinary tools in Paris. Was not the first to pass that way in Norway.

So, if you can’t afford a trip around the world, you can likely afford a trip around EPCOTs World Showcase. People come from around the world to present their culture there, and they’re so proud to do so (just wish Disney paid them better). In the lower range, you get treated to tech inventions and innovations, some amazing rides, and fun. The Living Seas is a pretty amazing small aquarium inside of a theme park, and totally worth a stop. The new Figment, Journey to Imagination, will forever be a disappointment to me. Myself and others had petitioned Disney not to destroy the original ride, which they did, and we continued efforts to have it restored, but what they did was ‘improve’ on the ride. The ‘improvements’ are terrible. The ride is slightly better than what they had in between the original and the current incarnation. Walt’s dream was not to destroy rides, but to add more. They shouldn’t have altered the old ride–the thing was totally awesome and adorable. If they wanted something else, they could have built near it. Don’t mess with the Figment, though. So many fans complained, they actually had to take action. That made me proud. Maybe someday we’ll get it back. Until then, Toad (another loss at the park) and Figment will have to sit in my imagination, lost to time.

Hop on over to PJ Fiala‘s Blog to check out her vacation thoughts.

PJ Fiala is originally from Missouri. She moved to Wisconsin with her family when she was 13 years old, city kids learning to farm. The farm started out with 28 rescue cows (they were adopted from the Humane Society who took them from abusive circumstances). With all the hard work and the deep winters, Wisconsin was a hard sell until PJ met her husband. They have four children and three grand children. The pair enjoy riding their motorcycles, on which they meet new places and visit places new and old.

PJ comes from a long line of veterans: “My grandfather, father, brother, two of my sons, and one daughter-in-law are all veterans. Needless to say, I am proud to be an American and proud of the service my amazing family has given.”

P.J. MacLayne‘s Blog

Born and raised among the rolling hills of western Pennsylvania, P.J. MacLayne still finds inspiration for her books in that landscapes. She is a computer geek by day and a writer by night who currently lives in the shadow of the Rocky Mountains. When she’s not in front of a computer screen, she might be found exploring the back roads of the nearby national forests and parks.