BLOGS

I love fantasy. I know fantasy/SF is pretty popular these days, but I fell in love long before the genre became the “flyest kid at the school.” There's just something wonderful about escaping into a world (whether through reading or writing) that's so different from everyday mundane reality― a reality of responsibilities and bills― into a dimension where you still have the same crap to deal with. . . but now you can became a creature with preternatural strength. How cool is that? It gives you a decided edge over everyday reality, or at the very least makes it more interesting.

I wrote my first novel, Immortal, with these thoughts in mind. The beginning of Immortal was the story of a young woman, Karla, living on the planet Tundra. Karla has ordinary, everyday struggles.  But she has a little―no a big―edge. Immortal weaves a tale of portals. Time travel. Werewolves. Daemons. By the time Immortal III is thrown into the mix, vampires have joined the plot. Tell me, what's not to love? Fantasy also lends itself incredibly well to "what if?" scenarios. As in: what if there was no racism? What if there was no poverty? What if folks came together and decided to change the world. . .?

For those of you who haven't guessed it yet, I also like to mix genres. In fact, that's the other thing I love so much about fantasy; it blends so easily with other genres, like horror and science fiction. But if fantasy is my first love, I'd have to say steampunk is my second.

From the outrageous clothing. . . bustles, corsets and knickers, to the outrageous machinery. . . airships, steam-trains, muskets. This is a genre I just can't stay away from. Steampunk is a glorious mixture of other fantasy/SF genres. And the settings and plots reflect this― plots set in the post-civil war. Victorian England. Post-Apocalyptic America. Or a futuristic world, as in my steampunk story: The Switch. http://www.mochamemoirspress.com

Steampunk, like any other fantasy subgenre is also anybody's game when it comes to "what if?" plots, settings and costumes. Which of course is why I'm so head over heels in love with it. 

Some of the best steampunk I've read this year, includes other fiction by Black writers such as: The Chronicles of Harriet by Balogun http://www.mochamemoirspress.com and The Delivery by Milton Davis http://www.scribd.com/doc/76098823/The-Delivery

I'll drop the sequel to the The Switch,The Switch II: Clockwork in Spring 2011, by steam train of course :) Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds will also hit the shelves in Spring 2012. This is the conclusion to my Immortal saga, and wouldn't you guess? Immortal IV also has a steampunk theme.

And check out my awesome fellow writers and what flavor of fiction they love on my blogroll. In 2012 I want to see more fantasy/steamfunk offerings by fabulous writers of color. I fully expect that I will.  

Winston Blakely, Artist/Writer–is a Fine Arts/Comic Book artist, having a career spanning 20 years, whose achievements have included working for Valiant Comics and Rich Buckler’s Visage Studios. He is also the creator of Little Miss Strange, the world’s first black alien sorceress and the all- genre anthology entitled – Immortal Fantasy. Both graphic albums are available at Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and other online book store outlets. Visit him: http://blakelyworks.blogspot.com/ or http://blakelyworkstudio.weebly.com/  

L.M. Davis, Author–began her love affair with fantasy in the second grade. Her first novel, Interlopers: A Shifters Novel, was released in 2010, and the follow-up Posers: A Shifters Novel will be released this spring. For more information visit her blog http://shiftersseries.wordpress.com/ or her website www.shiftersnovelseries.com.  

Milton Davis, Author –Milton Davis is owner/publisher of MVmedia, LLC . As an author he specializes in science fiction and fantasy and is the author of Meji Book One, Meji Book Two and Changa’s Safari. Visit him: www.mvmediaatl.com and www.wagadu.ning.com.  

Margaret Fieland, Author–lives and writes in the suburbs west of Boston, MA with her partner and five dogs. She is one of the Poetic Muselings. Their poetry anthology, Lifelines http://tinyurl.com/LifelinesPoetry/ is available from Amazon.com Her book, “Relocated,” will be available from MuseItUp Publishing in July, 2012. The Angry Little Boy,” will be published by 4RV publishing in early 2013. You may visit her website, http://www.margaretfieland.com.  

Valjeanne Jeffers, Author –is an editor and the author of the SF/fantasy novels: Immortal, Immortal II: The Time of Legend and Immortal III: Stealer of Souls. Her fourth and fifth novels: Immortal IV: Collision of Worlds and The Switch: Clockwork will be released this spring. Visit her at: http://valjeanne.wordpress.com and http://qandvaffordableediting.blogspot.com/  

Thaddeus Howze, Author–is a veteran of the Information Technology and Communications industry with over twenty-six years of experience. His expertise is in re-engineering IT environments using process-oriented management techniques. In English, that means he studies the needs of his clients and configures their offices to optimize the use of information technology in their environment. Visit him: http://ebonstorm.wordpress.com or http://ebonstorm.weebly.com  

Alicia McCalla, Author—writes for both young adults and adults with her brand of multicultural science fiction, urban fantasy, and futurism. Her debut novel, Breaking Free will be available February 1, 2012. The Breaking Free theme song created by Asante McCalla is available for immediate download on itunes and Amazon. Visit her at: www.aliciamccalla.com  

Carole McDonnell, Author–She writes Christian, speculative fiction, and multicultural stories. Her first novel is Wind Follower. Her short fiction has appeared in many anthologies and have been collected in an ebook, Spirit Fruit: Collected Speculative Fiction. Visit Carole:http://carolemcdonnell.blogspot.com/ or http://writersofcolorblogtour.blogspot.com/  

Rasheedah Phillips, Author–is the creator of The AfroFuturist Affair in Philly. She plans to debut her first spec/sci-fic novel Recurrence Plot in Spring 2012. You may catch her ruminating from time to time on her blog http://www.astromytholosophy.com/

Nicole Sconiers, Author-is also a screenwriter living in the sunny jungle of L.A. She holds an MFA in creative writing from Antioch University Los Angeles, and she recently published Escape from Beckyville: Tales of Race, Hair and Rage. Visit her: http://nicolesconiers.com/index.html

Jarvis Sheffield, M.Ed. is owner & operator of TheDigitalBrothers.com, BlackScienceFictionSociety.com & BlackCommunityEntertainment.com. Visit him: http://www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com/profiles/blog/list?user=2stjwb1h216fd

Using plasma physicsto examine the human brain. Way cool!

Were in age where video has come paramount in the media industry and beyond. There's going to come a place in time were all other types of media will just be considered just to be a part of video. The embracement of video in the african american community has been of great importance. Music videos, movies, documentaries, youtube, and more have took the media by storm! But just as a african americans have embraced video for entertainment and communications, there also a lack of black videographers, writers, and special effects designers. A new site on the net @ http://www.blackcommunityentertainment.com/ hopes to help change that. 

This site is a focal point for black video media, and others that would like to give there unique content on the web. With this site we can upload video, images, and make blogs to express your views. It's just starting out, but all ready the site has a great audience in part to its sister site www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com/
 

If people would give support to sites like these, a lot of things could be made for the black media community as a whole. The power of media in our nation will be here decades to come, so it would be a virtue for black people to be one of the creative forces in the industy. Not just to make another "Taylor Perry" movie. Check the "Red Tails" movie as an example of what could, and is being done lately.

For more information check out these links:

http://www.blackcommunityentertainment.com/

http://www.blacksciencefictionsociety.com/

http://www.lightworksbeta.com/

http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

Just saw "Red Tails" last night. Since I've seen Tuskeegee Airmen a number of times, I went with just my 'filmmaker' hat on and prepared to watch it with a director's eyes.

Up front, I'll say it was entertaining and easily stands with any number of WWII films you could name. It was also nice to see black faces not involved with the usual 'gangsta 'n ho' thing for a change.

So here's the review:

Without giving the story away, Red Tails starts in as the 331st Fighter Group (Tuskeegee Airmen) are stuck doing air patrols far behind the lines where little or no enemy activity occurs. Despite their training and readiness, the Airmen do little more than take out insignificant ground targets ranging from the unfortunate German motorcycle w/sidecar to the occasional train. The conflict begins with Flight Leader 'Easy' having to contend with his hotshot wingman 'Lightning'. His over-aggressive tactics and disregard for orders are a constant source of trouble in the air and on the ground for Easy who already has a handful with a diverse group of young pilots.

The other conflict is the one faced by Colonel Bullard played by Terence Howard and his struggle to have the 331st utilized as a credible war asset amidst firm resistance from high ranking white officers in the Pentagon. Colonel Bullard is pleasantly and intellectually defiant in the face of his detractors as he presents the facts of how well his men have been doing despite being held back.

The Airmen's chance to prove themselves comes as fighter escorts manned by white pilots are constantly drawn away from their assigned bombers by decoy German Fighters. This leaves the B-17 bombers and their crews vulnerable to the real force of German Fighters and their losses are appalling. Assigned to bomber escort duty, the 331st christened 'Red Tails' because of their aircraft tail paint, change tactics and don't fall for decoy fighters. By staying with the bombers, they offer stiff resistance to the German assaults and the Bomber losses plummet.

In the meantime, there are little moments where the Airmen face everyday life on the ground on base and in the town of Rametelli, Italy. A romance occurs between Lighting and a local Italian girl which is cute because he can't speak Italian and she can't speak English. There are other moments which show bits of how the pilots and ground crew interact along with Easy wrestling with a drinking problem.

It is after the Red Tails are assigned to full time bomber escort the story takes off. There are some fine aerial combat sequences and even the introduction of a skilled German Ace who rivals Lighting. During the battles we watch as members of the squadron become skilled and succumb to enemy fire. There's even an homage to the 'Great Escape' as one of the downed Airmen must contend with life in a German POW camp.

Overall, Red Tails is an entertaining film but despite the great photography and excellent combat sequences, I found it a bit flat. The acting was fine but I found the pacing of the story lagging where it seemed it shouldn't. There was also too much going on. It was like they were trying to tell an epic story in the standard 80-120 minute time-frame. I firmly believe this should have been done as a mini-series like "Band of Brothers" and "The Pacific". The setting, characters and situations begged for further development, but just didn't get it. Hopefully, the film will be successful and maybe Lucas can tap Hanks and Spielburg to put their WWII epic mini-series making machine on the Red Tails and give them the full treatment they deserve.

In a nutshell, Red Tails is a good flick. Take the kids while you're at it.

I post an analysis on Mushin - No Mind and Dark Matter, a cognitive comparision on the thesis of "Becoming Batman" and achieving expertise in any endeavor. It's also the first day of the "Year of the Dragon." Enjoy!

Just wanted to share a good article I found dissecting Voodoo from DC.

http://fatihahiman.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/invisible-racefail-the-problem-with-voodoo-and-the-racism-no-one-noticed/

I'm not reading the book but it seems DC stuck a foot in it's mouth with this one!

The Winged Beauty from the Dragon Queen series http://yvonnenicolas.wordpress.com/2012/01/22/the-winged-beauty-part-1/

If you missed this week’s flash fiction, here it is for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy! (For Mature Eyes Only) http://yvonnenicolas.wordpress.com/category/flash-fiction-friday/

By the application of nanotechnology, scientists can possibly increase the efficiency of this "green tech" solution to our fossil fuel dependency.

The Tuskegee Airman experiment was supposed to fail. It was the pseudo-science of Eugenics as practiced by the military: blacks were not seen as "smart enough" to pilot high performance aircraft in combat. Just as blacks were not seen as "smart enough" to quarterback for an NFL team before Doug Williams.

Whether you support President Obama or Juan Williams, the issue is the same: they, being black aren't "smart enough" to govern a country or ask a presidential candidate a question regarding relating to a black electorate. As of December 2011, the economy is not "great," but it is better than it was:

Red Tails mustbe supported because it is not fiction, it is ignored history that supports a preconceived bias for a certain segment that needs our debasement for their own elevation.

That is why black speculative fiction must be written, purchased, supported. We can - to paraphrase Karl Rove - "create our own realities," not in support of dreamed empires, but in support of our, and our children's esteem.

ABC News: Red Tails movie honors Tuskegee Airmen

Washington Post: Luke Weathers Jr., Tuskegee airman, buried at Arlington as ‘Red Tails’ movie released

WHODATHUNKIT? Call me "human guinea pig."

Khamun Cross was born to do one thing and that was to watch Sanna Steele, a woman so unique and special he would risk his all to have her. So what, that in his job of watching her, he happens to prowl the streets, hunting the very things that go bump in the night. Even monsters or everyday looking people that steal humans’ souls become Khamun’s victims, and he brings with him a power, a vampirism, that would send one straight to the dark.

Khamun craves the darkness in his victims as if it were his own personal dinner, but not as much as he craves the very woman he has been ordained to watch over as her Guardian Angel. Sanna Steele is just your average twenty-seven year old, with your everyday hopes, dreams and insecurities. She is clueless about the war that is secretly raging around her in the streets of St. Louis. A war she will soon become a part of. But what is so special about Sanna that the very things that go bump in the night, seeks to snatch her from her very existence in life?

This story by me, Kai Leakes delivers a classic tale of good versus evil in this supernatural thriller. ~COMING JULY 2012

Seriously, with nano-enhanced technology, scientists are hoping to enhance hearing on the nano-lengh scales. Beyond "Who-ville" it would be cool to listen to what an atom "sounds like."

      She was waiting for him to do something, but he had no idea what that something was.  Unable to focus, Talib closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, like his mother showed him when they used to practice yoga together.  He exhaled, grounding his thoughts on the cycle of breath and loosening his body.  The day's surprises had manifested in tension in his chest.  Lifting his shoulders up to his ears, Talib held them there until he exhaled again.  Sene began to sing in a hushed tone.  Though, Talib couldn't decipher the words, her low voice calmed his nervous energy.   He thought it was a chill passing through, but found himself vibrating from his feet up to his head.  Keeping his eyes closed in spite of himself, Talib found that he was beginning to understood Sene's song.  And he felt his head pulsate.  It reminded him of a headache, only, it was soothing—almost blissful.  His eyes shot open.  Sene was still singing with hers closed.  Talib focused his energy in her direction.

      I chose to come here, didn't I?  But I forgot what I was supposed to do.

      Sene looked at him, smiling.  “Yes, Amma sent me through the bummo to remind you.”

      “The what?”

      “The bummo.”  Sene crossed her hands, studying them intently at them as she attempted to form two carrots with them.  She cast a bird shadow across the room, explaining, “It's a sort of bridge between our dimensions.”  Trying again, “Amma dug a hole and anchored it.  He planted me in it, but I had to find my way to the other side.  To you.”

      “And this Amma person, is he a physicist?”

      “ He is the eldest spirit among us.  I think you'd call him a god here.”

      Skeptical, Talib seemed to distance himself from the idea.

      “Not the way humans understand it. He taught us how to turn thought into matter and gave his powers away, save for one.  Amma's sole duty, now, is to lead the dead spirits home.”

      Talib opened his mouth to speak, but waited for his mouth to catch up with his mind.  “How long have I been here, Sene?”

      “It doesn't matter.  Time is action.  The potential of activity is future, the summation is past, and now is upon us.  We must move.”

Lizards and robotics: WHODATHUNKIT?

On the national celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King’s birthday, you put out the political dog whistle to a South Carolina audience that “blacks should want jobs, not food stamps,” and calling our nation’s first African American president the “food stamp president.” You also disrespected the moderator – Juan Williams – by calling him by his first name (almost like calling him “boy”), when he called you by your former title of “Speaker.” I wonder if you’d been so bold if Herman Cain were still in the race?

On my blog post September 16, 2010, I wrote about poverty, particularly those that had been driven into poverty due to the recession.

One of those people…was me.

I also posted an article from Black Voices regarding the extreme effort college-educated African Americans were putting forth to get jobs with not as demonstrative success as the rest of the country.

That was also…me.

I have a degree in Engineering Physics from North Carolina A and T State University. I worked in a warehouse at UPS with that degree, slinging boxes between the hours of 3 – 9 AM, Monday – Friday making $6.52/hour. Do the math…

And yes, Mr. Gingrich, I went on food stamps…, with a degree in Physics.

I wrote a blog that became a book that described my angst, my self-doubt, my hurt pride, my desire to provide for my family in the manner I’d trained myself in the sciences to provide.

I now work in New York back in the industry I’d left eight years ago, making an income that allows me to provide for that same family…honorably. That was not a government program, sir: that was the Grace of God.

You cannot logically paint a broad brush on any one group’s desire over another to remain on food stamps – your data and political dog whistle is quite inaccurate: “Despite significantly higher participation rates for Blacks and persons of Hispanic origin, 65 percent of all participants were White.” (Census.gov)

I am not running for president, I am the “We the People” you’re running in the GOP primaries to qualify to govern.

Your behavior in this primary process is an abomination to the political process the Founding Fathers – you say you revere – established.

The day after celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. your crass, unprofessional comments demean the station you supposedly “occupy.” Perhaps after your bath, may I suggest soap applied to the orifice in front of the oval called your face? Please be suitably aggressive in application.

I don’t debate, but I do vote! If you were to get the nomination by some stretch of a miracle, you won’t be getting mine.

Got another cool idea today while trying to think up something for an anthology.  Much too involved for what they're looking for (sorry, Matt) and I'll just have to go it alone.  But it's much too hot an idea--at least to me--for me to idle on it.  I have to get it down now before it cools.  Any writer worth his salt will tell you a cooled idea is as good as dead.  Can't tell you too much, but it's call It's Dead and it approaches zombies in a very unique way.

Using a Star Wars metaphor to talk about Dark Matter.

Available on Amazon, Smashwords and Barnes & Noble as ebooks, and with new cover art soon to re-release as a paperback...check it out! Fans of Margaret Atwood or Octavia Butler might like First Cause. Description and links are below.

From Smashwords:

Ebook Short Description
Journalist Adam Grey has just woken up in the hospital, a week after the world was thrown into chaos by a battery of explosions. A woman named Angela, whom he recently met, might have something to do with the attacks. As the truth emerges, it will challenge their conventional assumptions about what it means to be human.

Extended Description
The world is in chaos from a two-day battery of explosions in many of its major cities.

A week after the explosions, journalist Adam Grey wakes up in the hospital. He pieces together the events leading to his injury, involving a woman named Angela.

Senator Cyrus Reardon has been appointed the new President of the United States' decimated government. A politician who isn't generally fond of his peers, he's faced with leading a discordant provisional Cabinet, addressing the nation's growing panic, and trying to separate fact from fiction.

Confronted with the truth behind the attacks, they--along with the world at large--are forced to reconsider conventional assumptions about human nature and possibility.

First Cause on Amazon's Kindle

First Cause on Goodreads

First Cause on Smashwords