The Tuesday Triple (4)

After yesterday's big announcement of my new fan forum and the forthcoming Summer Shootout Writing Contest, let's see what kind of songs roll off the old Media Player.  Will they be profoundly fitting, or random garbage... or both?

Send Her My Love (Live) –Journey:  Blah.  That's what hits me when I hear this song.  It's not one of my favorites, just another drippy love song.  This live performance doesn't make it any better.  That's a disappointing start to today's triple.

Say it With Love – The Moody Blues:  Blah x2!  Hey, I really like the Moody Blues, but this is one of their lesser songs.  It was the "big hit" from their Keys of the Kingdom album, but there were so many better songs on it!  While I like this a lot more than Send Her My Love, it is still a pretty unexciting selection.  Two down, one to go...

Sick of Myself –Matthew Sweet:  The Media Player seeks to redeem itself with the third song by throwing out Matthew Sweet's biggest hit.  While not my personal favorite, this is the song was really the peak of his career.  It was the first song on his 100% Fun album, and it was the first of his songs I ever heard (or remember hearing).  Yes, this far outshines the first two songs in this week's triple play.  Bravo!

Well, at least it wasn't a full slate of mediocre songs.  Let's see what next week brings.

Summer Shootout Writing Contest & A New Forum!

This weekend, I set up the Martin T. Ingham Official Fan Forum!  It's something that is still in the early stages, and I haven't had the time to post much there yet, though it is something I have thought about doing for quite a while.  This will be a place for my readers to converge and interact, to share what they like about my stories and learn more about them.  I'm not sure how hopping it'll be, but it will be another venue for activities.

The main impetus behind the forum's creation is the upcoming 2012 Exceptional Summer Shootout Writing Contest, which I will be hosting.  I was planning to have it over at the Pill Hill Press Forum, but as the editor/admin over there is pretty busy at the moment with some personal stuff, I made the choice to move the venue to a new locale.  What better place than my own fan forum?

There will be a pretty good prize for the ultimate winner of this shootout.  I'll be putting together a short story anthology, and the winner of this shootout will be granted publication to that collection!  It's something I've been thinking about doing for a while now.  The finalists are always the best of the best when it comes to writing, so I have no doubt that the winning story will be of sufficient quality.

So, any of my fellow writers who want a shot at the contest, here is the official invitation.  Keep in mind, space is limited, so sign up soon:

I'm pleased to announce the Exceptional Summer Shootout writing competition, which will test the mettle of writers near and far in a grand test of skill and stamina!  It all starts July 14, 2012!

These contests are always fun, and they spur the creation of highly publishable works.  Many shootout stories over the years have found homes in various anthologies and zines, and every participant receives valuable insights into their stories during the review process.

The shootout concept is simple.  Participating writers are given a prompt and one week to write a short story based on that prompt.  The subsequent week, the stories are reviewed by the participants.  Story authors remain anonymous until the reviews are final, and the reviews are kept anonymous for fair and unbiased opinion.

For the Exceptional Summer Shootout, we'll be setting up a team system, where 2 or more groups of writers will be competing head to head.  There won't be eliminations, so each writer will get the chance to write and review in 3 regular rounds.  After those 3 rounds, the top scoring writers on each team will compete for the win.

There will be one Grand Prize awarded to the writer who wins the final round:  Publication!  The winning writer will have their final story accepted for publication to an anthology that I will be editing for Hall Brothers Entertainment.  There will also be a nominal monetary payment given in addition to the publication acceptance.

To sign up, post in this thread, saying you want to participate:

http://mtifandom.forumotion.com/t2-exceptional-summer-shootout-sign-up-here

Additional purpose and value of the shootout:

For those of you who haven't participated before, you may be asking this question.  Above and beyond the grand prize, these are the main reasons to participate in the shootout:

1: Entertainment –This is the first and most important aspect of the shootout.  It is designed to be a fun experience, something a writer does because they like to write, and they want to test themselves against their contemporaries.  It's a game, first and foremost!

2: Reviews –A lot of writers enjoy the critique part of the contest.  Not only do you receive valuable reviews about your own creations, but you also have the opportunity to give your two cents worth on the stories of fellow writers.

3: Free Stories –If you're a writer, you have to enjoy reading, and participating in the shootout gives you the opportunity to read fresh material from your fellow writers.

4: Prestige –There is a certain level of pride one can have in themselves and their skills when they successfully run the entire gamut of a shootout.  Even though the finalists and eventual winner may have the greatest bragging rights, any participant can feel good about successfully creating new works of fiction in a short amount of time based on a particular prompt.

So, even if you don't win the shootout, you have some very positive reasons to participate!

Contest Caveats:

Participation Requirement:  If you sign up, please be sure you can handle the workload.  You'll need to write a short story in one week and then review 5 to 8 stories the following week (number of stories reviewed will depend on the number of participants we end up having).  This will happen 3 times in a row (write then review), so do your best.

Negative Feedback:  While reviews are expected to be considerate and constructive, they're also supposed to be honest.  It is possible someone may provide actual criticism of your story.  Be prepared to receive a modicum of negative feedback.

Document Format:  Your stories/comments will have to be submitted via email in either a .doc or .rtf format.  No .docx files!  Please make sure you can submit in the stated formats.

Well, I think that covers everything major.  Let's see some volunteers!

The Tuesday Triple (3)

It's the triple triple!  To celebrate our third installment in the Tuesday triple, I'll be giving away a big whopping nothing!  That's right, everyone who reads this week's blog post will receive the legendary no-prize made famous by Marvel Comics during the 70s and 80s.  To claim your no-prize, just listen to each of the three songs listed below and have a great day!

Sometimes Less Is More –Justin Hayward:  This singer/guitarist for the Moody Blues put out a little known solo album in 1996 called "View From the Hill," and this was one of the lackluster songs among the collection.  Now, I can't say it was a horrible release; it's just nothing special.  As I said, it's lackluster, a collection of easy listening songs with soft melodies, but nothing I'd call a hit.  It's a pretty bland beginning for our trio.

Down on the Ground –Tommy Shaw:  Next, we have a song from the singer/guitarist of Styx.  In 1998, he put out a solo album (it seemed to be the thing to do for aging rockers in the late 90s) called "Seven Deadly Zens."  Unlike Justin Hayward's release of the same period, this album had a few good tunes, but also some middle of the road stuff, and a few duds (plus some voice work by ST:TNG's own Deanna Troi).  This is one that seems to sit in the low-mid range of quality; an okay filler song with a catchy tune and enough of a beat to keep you awake. It reminds me of some Bon Jovi songs in that regard.

Long Live Rock –The Who:  It seems to be the day for fillers.  Here's a reject song that The Who shoved on their "Odds and Sods" album, of odds and ends.  This song wasn't good enough to put on a regular album, and it doesn't really do it for me.  There are gems amongst the clutter on the cutting room floor, but this wasn't one of them.

There you have three songs that really don't do it for me.  Give them a try, and see if you feel differently.

Tuesday Triple (2)

Well, last Tuesday's inaugural post for this feature seemed to be well-received.  I'll keep producing these for the time being, and hope it will keep people engaged while I work through a dry period in my blogging life.

So, without delay, here are the 3 random songs that came up this morning:

All Over My Head –Matthew Sweet:  Here's a quaint rock song from his Blue Sky on Mars album.  While it's a pretty catchy tune, it never quite hit the threshold of "hit."  When rating his songs, this one always came near the top of the second round of selections, and might fit in well with a "Best of Matthew Sweet, Volume 2" if ever such an album were released.  Enjoyable, and worth a listen, most certainly.

Tightrope –Electric Light Orchestra:  The first track on the breakthrough "A New World Record" album, which brought ELO into the second half of the 70's.  While still utilizing orchestration and Beatles-esque styling, this album started to contain a little more of a contemporary sound, less like "the 60's part-2" and more like the modern rock of that time.  This song was always one of my favorites as a kid, as it is upbeat, fast-paced, with some classical flourishes.  It's still a 5-star song in my book.

One Summer Dream –Electric Light Orchestra:  Jumping back to the previous album, "Face the Music," we have a soft, melancholy song which can stir some touching emotions or put you to sleep, depending on your mood.  After hearing the first two songs in this week's triple, this one cools everything down nicely.

Once again, if you have these songs handy, give them a listen.  If not, maybe go out and find them (legally), and then see what you think of them.  Until next week, keep on listening...

Write for Yourself

I've had a hard time getting any writing done lately, and while I could attribute some of this to my current work schedule, much of the blame lies with my state of mind.  I just haven't felt the inclination to produce fiction, and that has caused my work to suffer.  Upon reflection, the root of this attitude lies in the fact that I've violated one of my cardinal rules: write for yourself.

To say that my writing career is not as successful as I desire (and once envisioned it would be) is a great understatement.  Long ago, when success was lagging, I came to the conclusion that in order to churn out fiction I needed to write what I wanted to write.  I could not be concerned with what other people thought of my work.  They would either like what I produced, or they wouldn't.  This attitude allowed me to produce some of my best works, but recently I seem to have lost sight of this.

Yes, there are those of you out there who really like my stories, but there are obviously many of you who don't.  Looking closer to home, most of the people I personally know either don't have an interest in my writing, or really don't like it.  This is illustrated by their silence.  They are too kind to tell me that my fiction just isn't for them.  Truly, the majority of my fan-base is people I have never met, and always will be.

While the West of the Warlock series continues to grow in popularity, it is still a far cry from where I need to be for commercial success, and my delayed fame grates at my ego.  I have recently been trying to write stories for other people, thinking of what they might want to read, rather than just writing whatever I will enjoy.  Trying to write stories for an audience that doesn't exist (or is statistically insignificant) is a futile endeavor, and is a common cause of writer's block.

Until I find greater success, and have a much larger audience, I cannot allow myself the luxury of writing for others.  I need to focus my attention on creating stories that I like to write, or I will be doomed to depression.

I don't bring this up because I wish to lament my own misfortune, but to help other writers who may be suffering the same dilemma.  If you don't have a large readership, you cannot be too concerned with what others think of your writing.  You must be your most important critic and fan.  So long as you enjoy the stories you write, they are worth writing.  The day you start making real money from them is the day you can start being concerned with other people's opinions, not before.

The Tuesday Triple (1)

Here's a new feature that I'm going to try out on the blog for the foreseeable future (or until I get bored with it).  Each Tuesday, I'm going to hit the randomizer setting on my Media Player and write up a brief commentary on the first 3 songs that come up.  I happen to have a lot of music on my computer (all 100% licensed), and most of it falls into the "classic rock" or "oldies" category.  I still have a lot of vinyl lp's that I'd like to get on disc at some point, as well.

Okay, so here goes.  The very first Tuesday Triple!

1:  Last One –Paw.  There are a few good songs by this group, though this is one that falls in the blah category.  It isn't really a bad tune, but it doesn't have any kick to it.  It's fairly bland until toward the end, where things speed up a bit, before calming down again.

2:  Oh How Happy –Shades of Blue.  This is the only song I have by this group.  It's on a collection of "hits" from 1965, and while I wouldn't call it a favorite, this is a nice little song.  A little sappy, perhaps, but at least it has decent rhythm.

3:  Isn't Life Strange –The Moody Blues.  One of the bigger hits from their "Seventh Sojourn" album, there's something haunting and almost sad about this original version.  Personally, I prefer the remake found on their "Legend of a Band" compilation album.

I hope you enjoyed this little foray into blogging excellence.  If you have any of these songs, think about playing them at some point today, and see how they make you feel.

The Angell Link

As I mentioned in April, I recently uncovered some conflicting data on my Tucker side, concerning Sarah Angell Tucker, wife of James Tucker, mother of Simeon Tucker.  As explained in my Too Many Tuckers column, the data I had first posted last year was based on the findings of another cousin, and the more I research, the more it appears those claims were erroneous.  I generally try to vet my data more thoroughly before posting it on the blog, but when in need of a "T" column for the A to Z Challenge last year, I rushed things.

Further research gives far more credence to the Angell link, including the presence of Christian Church Angell's grave in the same Halifax, VT cemetery as James & Sarah (Angell) Tucker.

Excerpts from Avery F. Angell's book, "Genealogy of the Descendants of Thomas Angell, Who Settled in Providence, 1636," give some more interesting pointers about the Angell line, including the lineage of William Angell.  It seems William's particular line is a hard one to trace, but he's purportedly the son of James Angell, making him the great-grandson of Thomas Angell.  For those who aren't familiar with Thomas Angell, he was an illiterate teenager who accompanied Roger Williams into the wilderness to found Providence, Rhode Island (as the title of Avery's book suggests).

Details on the children of James Angell are hard to find, possibly because his descendants wished to distance themselves from him.  James was classified as legally insane at some point, though there is little else mentioned about it.

I won't go out on a limb and claim a definite link to Thomas Angell, but the evidence that currently exists seems to point in that direction.  It would be nice to uncover solid proof someday.

Another Longshot Attempt

Life has been getting busy for me lately, as I continue to write and work at various other jobs and projects.  After the long blogging campaign of April's A to Z challenge, I needed a bit of a break, and as things continue to be hectic at times, I may not always manage to stick to the blog's posting schedule.  It is important to prioritize, and while I do not wish to disappoint those of you who are interested in reading the blog, it can't always take precedence over other things in life.

A couple of days ago, I started work on another exciting project.  You all should know about the West of the Warlock television project by now, which has thus far gone no farther than the production of a script.  Seeking to broaden my chances for cinematic success, I am now working on the pilot script for The Rogue Investigations television project.

Friends and readers have long commented that The Rogue Investigations would make a great tv series, more so than my other works.  The chapters contained within the book are written in episodic format to begin with, so it won't take much to adapt them to scripts.  There are a few things I plan to do differently in the script than what is written in the book, though the general theme will be the same; Zachary McCain and John Rage, with Detective Amanda Alfaro in tow, will investigate the paranormal, seeking to expose the truth behind unexplained phenomena and supernatural entities.

Whether the show will ever be made is anyone's guess, but a longshot is better than no shot.  If I write the script, the option will be there for any executive with the inclination to take a chance on me.  All it takes in this business is the right industry professional to have faith in your work.  With any luck, that right person will discover The Rogue Investigations someday soon.

Family History Hiatus

You may have noticed that I haven’t put down a fresh family Sunday post for a while, and I must report that it’ll be a while longer before I get around to writing more of them.  At present, I have a lot on my plate, and other things must take precedence.

One major problem I have at the moment with my family research lies with a computer failure.  I recently had some hard drive issues, and had to install a fresh copy of Windows XP.  Well, the copy I have is 5 years old, and it turns out that Family Tree Maker 2011 requires a pretty up-to-date version to work.  So, until I get a bunch of updates downloaded and installed (which could be a month or two with my dial-up connection), I can’t access a lot of my data with ease.  It’s another convenient excuse to take a break.

This coming Fall/Winter, I hope to find the time to do some more comprehensive research into various lines, and thoroughly peruse the 1940 Census (which should be indexed by then).

In the meantime, feel free to drop me a line anytime about the preexisting lines I have posted.  I’m always eager to hear fresh stories and receive old pictures to add to the collection (there are still a lot of photo-holes on my father’s side of the family in particular).  Don’t be shy to share!

Slipping Philosophy into Fiction

I’m not the sort of writer who spends a lot of time and effort seeking to capitalize on my political leanings.  While I certainly have personal convictions and I occasionally make a political statement or two, I don’t see my literary work as a means of indoctrinating others to my brand of philosophy.  Instead, I try to entertain my readers and present stories that can be enjoyed by a broad audience.  People can take what they want from it.

Every writer ends up speaking from their own beliefs to some degree, so I’m not saying I never interject my ideology into my works.  However, in my opinion, there are too many authors and entertainers out there who try to beat you over the head with one viewpoint or another, but when it comes to marketing that can be counter-productive.  Keep in mind, for every person who agrees with your impassioned rants, there are many more who will disagree and be less inclined to purchase your material.

 Science Fiction has always had its share of object lessons and metaphorical messages.  Writers have often utilized the “fantasy” of the genre to expound about some social injustice or potential threat, but the best of these tales have been careful to maintain the integrity of the entertainment, so readers disinterested with the moral ramifications can still appreciate the overall story.

Looking to my own works of fiction, there are generally little snippets of philosophy tossed in now and then, though the most successful use of it can be seen in The Guns of Mars.  The backdrop of the story is a sociopolitical struggle between the rights of the individual and the dictates of the State.  The Scientific Fundamentalists represent those who desire strict order and control in the name of human progress, where Morgan Asher and his allies represent the sort of Libertarian individualists we see standing up for their rights throughout history.  Even as we explore this clash of philosophies, there is an action-packed adventure that can be appreciated by anyone, regardless of their ideology.

Thrown into the mix are some interesting scientific concepts, and future technology that brings this up to the level of “hard” Science Fiction.  The world is exposed in a clear manner, so you can understand how humanity might progress over the next 250 years.  It’s my most “serious” work of fiction, and the reviews have reflected that.

This is the must-read novel a lot of people haven’t heard about yet, so don’t be shy about spreading the word.  Do me a favor; stick a link to this post on your facebook page, and let’s see what happens.

FBI Red Alert!!! (Scam)

I'm sure most of you have recieved the scam letters from some third world troll, saying so-and-so died recently, leaving millions of dollars in a foreign bank account, and that Mr. Mugubutu in Oooga Booga land wants to give it to you because he's just so nice.  These pathetic scams (most of them from Africa) are always changing, and it's funny to see how pathetic they really are.  It's really sad that there might be someone gullible enough to actually fall for this sort of obvious scam.

Trying to stay fresh, a scam artist has come up with a new one, this time posing as FBI Director, Robert Mueller!  The letter rambles on, threatening arrest and financial ruin if the unnamed recipient doesn't pay $98 to a man in Lagos, Nigeria.  But the threat is then followed by the assertion that the recipient will get $10,500,000 after paying the trifling sum to avoid jail time.  Oh, yeah, that's got to be true.  Not!  While obviously fraud, it is a clever new tactic; at least it is for a third world scam artist who still has a little trouble writing in English.

In case you haven't received this particular scam in your email, I'll share it with you.  Have a good laugh:

Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division
Fbi Headquarters In Washington, D.C.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001 Website: www.fbi.gov

Attention, this is the final warning you are going to receive from me do you get me?
I hope youre understand how many times this message has been sent to you?

We have warned you so many times and you have decided to ignore our e-mails or because you believe we have not been instructed to get you arrested, and today if you
fail to respond back to us with the payment then, we would first send a letter to the mayor of the city where you reside and direct them to close your bank account
until you have been jailed and all your properties will be confiscated by the FBI. We would also send a letter to the company/agency that you are working for so that
they could get you fired until we are through with our investigations because a suspect is not suppose to be working for the government or any private organization.

Your id which we have in our database been sent to all the crimes agencies in America for them to inset you in their website as internet fraudsters and to warn
people from having any deals with you. This would have been solved all this while if you had gotten the certificate signed, endorsed and stamped as you where
instructed in the e-mail below. this is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) am writing in response to the e-mail you sent to us and am using this medium to
inform you that there is no more time left to waste because you have been given from the 3rd of January. As stated earlier to have the document endorsed, signed and stamped without failure and you must adhere to these directives to avoid you blaming yourself at last when we must have arrested and jailed you for life and all your properties confiscated.

You failed to comply with our directives and that was the reason why we didn't hear from you on the 3rd as our director has already been notified about you get the
process completed yesterday and right now the warrant of arrest has been signed against you and it will be carried out in the next 48hours as strictly signed by the
FBI Director. We have investigated and found out that you didn't have any idea when the fraudulent deal was committed with your information's/identity and right now if

Your id is placed on our website as a wanted person, I believe you know that it will be a shame to you and your entire family because after then it will be announce in
all the local channels that you are wanted by the FBI. As a good Christian and a honest man, I decided to see how I could be of help to you because I would not be happy to see you end up in jail and all your properties confiscated all because your information's was used to carry out a fraudulent transactions, I called the EFCC and they directed me to a private attorney who could help you get the process done and he stated that he will endorse, sign and stamp the document at the sum of US$98.00 only and I believe this process is cheaper for you.

You need to do everything possible within today and tomorrow to get this process done because our director has called to inform me that the warrant of arrest has been
signed against you and once it has been approved, then the arrest will be carried out, and from our investigations we learnt that you were the person that forwarded
your identity to one impostor/fraudsters in Nigeria when he had a deal with you about the transfer of some illegal funds into your bank account which is valued at the
sum of  US$10.500,000.00.

I pleaded on your behalf so that this agency could give you till 4/28/2012 so that you could get this process done because I learnt that you were sent several e-mail
without getting a response from you, please bear it in mind that this is the only way that I can be able to help you at this moment or you would have to face the law
and its consequences once it has befall on you. You would make the payment through western union money transfer with the below details.

NAME: UDI JAMES
ADDRESS: LAGOS NIGERIA
TEXT QUESTION: WHAT
ANSWER: SOLUTION
AMOUNT: $98
Senders name======

Send the payment details to me which are senders name and address, mtcn number, text question and answer used and the amount sent. Make sure that you didn't hesitate
making the payment down to the agency by today so that they could have the certificate endorsed, signed and stamped immediately without any further delay. After all
this process has been carried out, then we would have to proceed to the bank for the transfer of your compensation funds which is valued at the sum of US$10.500,000.00 which was suppose to have been transferred to you all this while.

Note/ all the crimes agencies have been contacted on this regards and we shall trace and arrest you if you disregard this instructions. You are given a grace today to
make the payment for the document after which your failure to do that will attract a maximum arrest and finally you will be appearing in court for act of terrorism,
money laundering and drug trafficking charges, so be warned not to try any thing funny because you are being watched.

THANKS FOR YOUR CO-OPERATION.

ROBERT MUELLER

WASHINGTON DC

Anti-Terrorist and Monetary Crimes Division
Fbi Headquarters In Washington, D.C.
Federal Bureau Of Investigation
J. Edgar Hoover Building
935 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Washington, D.C. 20535-0001 Website: www.fbi.gov

Zacklies

Well, here we are, on the final day of the A to Z challenge.  This year, we'll wrap things up with a bit of irreverent humor from my late Uncle Stephen.



Stephen Kirton, Circa 1965



Stephen was always good for a joke, and he was the sort of amiable fellow that could get away with just about anything.  He could tell an off-color joke or two no matter what company he was keeping without causing much offense because he just had that certain air about him; a unique charisma and empathy that let him off the hook for saying things that would get other people crucified.

One of the odd jokes he liked to tell was about the "zacklies," and he often varied the story to suit different people.  In the joke, someone would go to some doctor or psychiatrist, complaining about people avoiding them.  The doctor would say, "You've got a case of the zacklies."  The patient would ask what that was, and the punch-line went: "It's where your mouth smells zackley like your ass."  Obviously, this joke could be considered quite offensive on several levels, though it was the kind of humor my uncle excelled at telling (or retelling most likely).

Though, he was far smarter than such childish humor might lead you to believe.  He was an accomplished Chiropractor who always sought to expand his knowledge, even as he struggled with inner demons and various addictions.  I recognize now that much of his flamboyant, extroverted behavior was a cover for the hidden pain that lurked within his soul.  As so many people tend to do, he hid his emotional scars from the world behind a veil of jocularity.

Uncle Stephen was someone who could get along with anybody, and often did.

Yeager's Second Book

Last year, I did a brief review of Yeager, the autobiography of General Chuck Yeager, the first man to break the Sound Barrier.  He has led an incredible life, from his humble West Virginia upbringing to his days as a fighter pilot in World War II, onward through years as a test pilot for the latest and greatest aircraft, and he even ran an Astronaut training program.  He is quite a fascinating and inspiring character, something of an "everyman" who downplays his own greatness at every turn.

A few years after the success of his autobiography, Yeager put together a second volume, with new details and stories about his life.  Press On: Further Adventures in the Good Life is more of a supplement to the first book, filling in gaps in his life story and they're not always told in-sequence.  While the first book was pretty straight chronologically (starting with his childhood onwards), this second volume is more a collection of stories that are interspersed throughout his life.  They are fun and entertaining to read, just as the first book, and they're told in a very non-literary manner.  It's like listening to an old flyboy telling you about himself in a laid back, cozy manner.

For those who want to learn more about this incredible American, I highly recommend this book and its predecessor.  Read them as a pair, and get a full dose of Yeager!  You will not be disappointed.