Steampunk Granny's Review of 2014:The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

                                                        

This past year was one hell of a wild ride and that was even with the world’s safety belt pulled taunt across its chest. While we made epic strides with medical and science innovations, the circus performances of Global Politics, especially that of the United States Congress, left many of us wishing that we could pack up and move far away...like to another planet.

                                                             

Luckily, there were a bevy of new movies, books, games and music to divert our attention from the wacky stuff that was happening around the globe. Grab hold of your wrecking ball and follow me.

Music

I’m a big fan of Black Keys, Of Monsters and Men, Lorde and anything by Parov Stelar plus my friends at Biff Bam Pop www.biffbampop.com offered a few of their favorites and I will share them.
Thank you Glenn Walker: http://biffbampop.com/2014/12/15/biff-bam-pops-holiday-gift-guide-2014-nothing-has-changed-by-david-bowie/

And, thank you J.P. Fallavollita: http://biffbampop.com/2014/12/31/top-5-albums-of-2014-as-chosen-by-jp-fallavollita/#more-31591

This year, I’ve been listening to the “My Head is an Animal CD by Of Monsters and Men with my favorite song being “Little Talks”
 
This is my favorite Parov Stelar tune. I play this when I’m feeling down and feel lots better after I try to do the dance steps.

I love all the songs by Black Keys, but this is one of my favorites

Lorde has such a great voice and I think this was the song that hooked me. Royals...enjoy

Television

2014 was a good year for Television and not only did the fan favorites like Dr. Who, Grimm, “The Walking Dead”, American Horror Story: Freak Show, Sleepy Hollow, Agents of Shield and Gotham live up to KICK ASS expectations, but we were offered top-notch series like True Detective and Gracepoint, the American remake of BBC’s Broadchurch.  

                                                          

Shows that didn’t make my list of favorites: Under the Dome, The Following, The Goldbergs and Stalker.

Movies

There were some great thought provoking movies out this year and I have so many favorites such as, Maleficent, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Deliver Us from Evil, Guardians of the Galaxy, The Drop, The Draft, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Her, Gravity, Mockingjay part 1 and, one of the best written horror stories this year, The Babadook http://thebabadook.com/home/

                                                             

                                                        

I will say that I have not seen The Interview which stars James Franco and Seth Rogen. Maybe it was because its plot has Franco and Rogen’s characters trying to kill real life North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un.

                                                           

I’m all for free speech and I abhor censorship of said free speech, but I don’t think it wise to upset a world leader who is very anxious and capable of launching nuclear weapons and hacking into Sony’s stuff. Maybe the studio could have used a fictitious name or country. I will say that friends who saw the movie liked it.

Books

I reviewed a lot of books this year and wrote reviews for those books. I give a 4 star rating for: Jack Flacco’s second book in a series Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion. It is a fast, fun action story that you can’t put down http://www.amazon.com/Ranger-Martin-Alien-Invasion-Flacco-ebook/dp/B00ONG04IA

                                                         

I reviewed the Reading Glasses Anthology: Stories through an Unpredictable Lens http://tinyurl.com/qbbgonb  You can find out more about Hypothetical Press here: http://www.hypotheticalpress.com/

                                                            

And right now, I am honored and excited to be reviewing Wrapped in Plastic Twin Peaks http://tinyurl.com/lmez3m2 by Andy Burns, our fearless leader and Editor-In-Chief of Biff Bam Pop. I can’t wait to do the review and the interview.

                                                                 

Here is the synopsis: In 1990, avant garde filmmaker David Lynch (Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet) and acclaimed television writer Mark Frost (Hill Street Blues) teamed up to create a television show that would redefine what the medium could achieve in a one-hour drama.

                                                          

With Twin Peaks, the duo entranced audiences with the seemingly idyllic town, its quirky characters, and a central mystery — who killed Laura Palmer? In a town like Twin Peaks, nothing is as it seems, and in Wrapped in Plastic, pop culture writer Andy Burns uncovers and explores the groundbreaking stylistic and storytelling methods that have made the series one of the most influential and enduring shows of the past 25 years

My Book

I have my book out, Roof Oasis book one of an apocalyptic tale with a twist.

                                                         

   

Think Romeo & Juliet meet The Walking Dead written by Jules Verne http://tinyurl.com/nmdl27e   I'm working on book two Saving Solanda which will be out in the summer of 2015

Conclusion

As far as world news, the lower that rat shit terrorist group called ISIS, the greed of Wall Street, the destruction of the Middle Class, Obama Care, GMO’s and the disgusting and dangerous practice of FRACKING along with the latest outbreak of the contagious Ebola Virus were the big topics around the water coolers and kitchen tables. I send my sympathies to the families who were infected in West Africa and here.

                                                        

I could write about the buffoonery that went on in Congress, but I’m already taking too many pills for acid indigestion as it is. Enough said. Let’s hope that 2015 will find our world leaders using more common sense and our private citizens using fewer guns.

                                                     Happy 2015

Steampunk Granny Interviews Reading Glasses Author, Richard Voza

                                                               

I’m very happy to introduce Richard Voza, a life-long New Jersey resident.  He has written four novels, one of which (Connecting Flight) will be released by Start Publishing. Most of his work tends to lean in the paranormal direction, but there’s always room for humor in the mix. His film reviews can be found at Cinekatz.com.  He sometimes hangs out with the South Jersey Writers Group.  His current work-in-progress is a time-travel novel called Time.

 

Marie Gilbert: Hi Richard, it’s a pleasure doing this interview with you and I have lots of questions. First tell us a bit about yourself and how and what got you into writing.

Richard Voza: Ever since college, I have always had something that I could consider a “work in progress.”  During college I wrote a screenplay, my first real piece of work, and I sent that to a film agent.  Good news: he loved it.  Bad news: he told me to keep my eye out for a movie coming out soon called “Pretty Woman.” The only difference between my story and that film was that my main character was a rock star instead of a “Wall Street” type of guy.  About 20 years ago, during my early years teaching, I wrote a story about a boy caught in the middle of the Civil War.  Since then, my writing and attitude have grown up.

While teaching for 25 years, I wasn’t taking my writing very seriously. I was always working on something, but I would just stop after a second or third draft and then do almost nothing with it.  After 15 years of teaching, I realized that I needed to get more serious about it.  I then wrote three novels in about five years.  During the past three years – after completely stepping away from education – I’ve been more focused than ever and now have a right to call myself “published.”

Marie Gilbert: You have four books under your belt so far, which one is your favorite? I know this is a tough question, but there has to be one that you favor more than the rest.

Richard Voza: you're right, this is a tough question. However, if a choice must be made, I’ll have to go with an older book, Room 317.  It's about a man who has had so many things go wrong in his life that he's contemplating suicide.  Before doing so, he wants to see the Pacific Ocean.  On his way there, he stumbles into a situation in which he simultaneously witnesses an "organized" crime while also endangering the lives of a single mom and her child.  He knows he could easily protect himself and walk away, but instead he is willing to potentially sacrifice himself to protect them.  His personal circumstances make him a candidate to jump off a building or blow himself up in a crowded movie theater, but instead he manages to attempt something positive.

 

                                                                 

Marie Gilbert: What was your inspiration for Mrs. Rabinski? Is she based on anyone that you know?

Richard Voza: Don’t tell anyone, but Mrs. Rabinski is based very closely on someone I know.  Although that person has not exactly done the things that Mrs. Rabinski does, her own life conditions are similar. This is how most, possibly all of my writing is generated.  I look at real-life situation, and I simply think, "How could this become interesting?"  While accompanying someone on a similar doctor visit that Mrs. Rabinski attends, I twisted it into something else.  To the best of my recollection, that's the same process for everything I have ever written. 

Marie Gilbert: What are you working on now?

Richard Voza: My current work-in-progress is tentatively titled "Time."  Yeah, that's a bad title, but it's short and easy to type until I change it.  I have always loved and wanted to write a time travel story, but the problem for me was that I couldn't write one until I had what I considered an "acceptable" time travel device or theory.  The nuclear DeLorean hitting 88 mph was already taken, and other devices in books I’ve read were just dumb to me.  I was watching a science television show a few months ago about parallel universes when I finally found my idea/device, and it's connected to déjà vu. The story involves a character much like in Room 317, but this time the man with nothing much to live for volunteers for an experiment that might send him back in time where he potentially can correct all of his mistakes, or he might die. Or both.

 

                                                                      

Marie Gilbert: It’s always nice when we get to see you at the South Jersey Writers’ Group. What drew you to our group and why would you recommend someone joining a writers’ group.

Richard Voza: I found the group after complaining to a friend about a bad writers' group I had joined. She showed me the Meetup.com website, and a quick search resulted in the SJWG.  The best part of this and hopefully any writers' group is the camaraderie and encouragement to move forward with your work. At my first meeting, I heard members talking sadly about their rejection letters.  I interrupted and said, "Hey.  Don’t feel down about that.  A rejection means you're trying.  I have no rejections to talk about at the moment, but that means that I haven't been trying hard enough."  Now, about a year later, I have a novel titled “Connecting Flight” that will be released in a few months by Start Publishing, a small press in New York.

Marie Gilbert: You do movie reviews. What type of movies do you like to watch?

Richard Voza: I mostly enjoy movies about "real" people.  What I mean is I don't like movies about wealthy people who have the ability to hop on a private jet and zip to wherever and buy whatever.  Most of us like those movies because they involve an escape to a fun and exciting lifestyle - but it's nothing I can relate to.  I prefer movies that could be stories about people I actually know with problems that must be solved by real people who don't have extreme weapons or government connections.

Marie Gilbert: Did you ever write a bad review of a movie that everyone else liked?

Richard Voza: Oh dear yes. I have had the most trouble with my review of 2001: A Space Odyssey.  To me, it was 80% all about the technology without much of a story.  It had the potential for a fabulous story, but it left that undeveloped.  It also had one of the most indecipherable endings ever.  I’ve been told that if I read the book, then I’ll completely understand the ending.  To me, that's unfair.  A good movie needs to stand on its own without the book as a crutch.  I have had email arguments with the late great Roger Ebert about this movie.  We also argued about his love and my similar dislike of The Great Gatsby, another work that everyone loves – except me.

Marie Gilbert: Richard I want to thank you for this interview for our Reading Glasses Fans. I loved your story, Mrs. Rabinski and I also have known people just like her. I’ll be looking forward to reading your upcoming book, “Connecting Flight” and I’m sure after our followers read Mrs. Rabinski, they’ll want to read your novel, too.

 

You can find Reading Glasses on Amazon, Kindle and Smashwords and you can find my book Roof Oasis, an apocalyptic tale with a twist on Amazon and Kindle. The second book in the series will be out this summer.

                                                                         

 

Steampunk Granny Interviews Co-Editor of Reading Glasses, Jessica A. Walsh

                                                                      

I’m so happy to interview this next guest. Jessica is a friend and a member of our writers’ group, The South Jersey Writers’ Group. She is also the co-editor of Reading Glasses, the Hypothetical Press Anthology. Jessica has a story in this anthology called Unquiet Mind.

When Jessica is not editing, she is an avid reader and writer of creative non-fiction. She is a Communications Manager for a non-profit in Philadelphia, PA. She lives in Southern New Jersey and escapes to the beach with her surfboard whenever possible. She has been a member of the South Jersey Writers’ Group since 2011. This is her first publication.

 

Marie Gilbert: I’m so happy to chat with you. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Jessica A. Walsh: I love learning and growing, in every way possible. I am a very passionate person and need to be working toward a goal at all times, whether it’s finishing a story, losing weight or learning how to surf. I don’t do well being stagnant. Besides reading and writing, I enjoy cooking and keeping active; jogging, practicing yoga, anything that keeps me moving. I love to tell jokes that people say are pretty bad, even though I find them hysterical. I have a child’s sense of humor when it comes to jokes.

                                                               

Marie Gilbert: What inspired you to be a writer?

Jessica A. Walsh: I have loved reading as long as I can remember. I know not everyone who loves to read wants to write, but love of the word just came natural to me. Once I started writing in 3rd or 4th grade, I was praised for my ability and creativity. From then on, all of my teachers throughout the rest of my public education saw that in me and encouraged it, even giving me special writing assignments. I suppose that's what really inspired me to keep doing it. I had wonderful teachers. My oldest brother is also a very talented writer and he inspires and encourages me as well.

Marie Gilbert: What genre do you enjoy writing the most?

Jessica A. Walsh: I enjoy writing creative non-fiction most. After all, I, and the people closest to me, am the character I know best. I am naturally introspective and like to use writing to capture my life experiences and stories, while simultaneously reflecting to better understand and learn from them. It's not until you try to write down and capture all the elements of an event that you can really begin to understand and interpret them, while preserving those memories at the same time.

                                                                    

Marie Gilbert: Where did the inspiration for this story come from?

Jessica A. Walsh: Reading Glasses being a speculative fiction collection, Unquiet Mind was out of my element. I started by creating a character, Reven, whose loneliness, anger and overactive mind was familiar to me and then gave her an unreal characteristic to oblige the spec element. Everything else came from there. That made it easier for me because I was writing about realistic people and scenarios, just with an unreal disorder in an unreal setting.

                                                          

                                                              

Marie Gilbert: What are you working on now?

Jessica A. Walsh: I am very excited to be launching a new blog soon called Cracking the Nut (crackingnut.blogspot.com). I am working on content and design. I'm currently in almost a constant state of introspection while some new and exciting things are happening in my life. I want to capture those revelations and thoughts, successes and failures, and hopefully even inspire some people at the same time - all with a strong dose of humility. The name is a play on words since I am attempting to crack the nut on my suffering, while I can also be a little bit of a self-proclaimed nutcase at times haha.

Marie Gilbert: What was it like to be the co-editor of the Reading Glasses Anthology? Was it harder than you expected? Easier?

Jessica A. Walsh It was certainly an experience, that's for sure. I don't think I knew what to expect so every part of it was a surprise. I think we strongly underestimated the amount of time it would all take - scoring all of the submissions, some stories taking upward of ten hours to edit, not to mention waiting for author responses - but I also realized how much I enjoy editing. Almost every single author was pleased and appreciative with the edits to their story, which was really lovely. I was also working full-time and wrapping up my last year at Saint Joseph's University throughout almost all of this so that didn't help matters. But I am very proud of the work Amy Holiday and I did. I'm ready to work on my own writing and projects now though, with the exception of the occasional editing assignment. (I'm available!)

                                                                             

Marie Gilbert: Thank you so much Jessica for appearing on my blog and I’m sure everyone will want to read Reading Glasses and Unquiet Mind. Also, on October 24th, our writers' group held a book launch for Reading Glasses and it was a big success.

Steampunk Granny Interviews Author Randy Ribay from Reading Glasses Anthology

                                                               

 

Steampunk Granny is so happy to interview Randy Ribay, Author of “Mason, On My Way Home” Before we start the interview, here are some fun facts about Randy. He was born in the Philippines and raised in Michigan and Colorado, Randy Ribay holds a B.A. in English Literature from the University of Colorado and a M.Ed. from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. By day he teaches high school English in West Philadelphia, and by night he reviews books for The Horn Book Guide and writes strange stories. He lives in Camden, NJ with his wife and dog-children. Here is Randy’s website: http://randyribay.wix.com/writer

 

                                                                 

 

Marie Gilbert: Randy, thank you for joining us and I’ll start with my first question. Tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to become a writer?

 

Randy Ribay: I have always been a reader of stories in any form—books, comics, TV, or movies. One of my favorite feelings in the world is when a fictional story moves me, when it is so powerful that I feel like I’ll never be the same for having experienced it. And so I picked up the pen (rather, set my hands on the keyboard) in order to help others feel similarly and remember what it means to be human.

 Marie Gilbert: What was the inspiration for this story?

Randy Ribay: Driving around, I often see people standing on the corner passing out flyers. I wondered it must be like to stand outside all day and pass out paper. From there, I began to wonder if they ever got harassed by passers-by. I imagined such a thing happening to someone, and then decided to explore that story.

 

                                                                  

Marie Gilbert: What type of stories do you enjoy writing the most? Genre?

Randy Ribay: I write young adult fiction across a variety of genres. I’m interested in teen characters because I think that’s largely when most people become the person they’ll be for the rest of their lives.

Marie Gilbert: Have you been published in other anthologies? If so where?

Randy Ribay: “Mason, On My Way Home” is my first published work of fiction—and also the first short story I’ve ever submitted!

Marie Gilbert: What made you contribute to our group’s kickstarter? What was the selling point?

Randy Ribay: Damn the Man—support independent publishing!

 

                                                                       

Marie Gilbert: Do you belong to a writers’ group? If yes then why and if not, why?

Randy Ribay: I had a critique partner for a couple of years, but then his wife had a baby and he fell off the face of the earth. So I eventually joined with the South Jersey Writers Group because as lonely an endeavor as writing can be, connecting with other writers is invaluable. 

Marie Gilbert: Randy, I loved your story and I want to thank you for the interview.

 

You can find Reading Glasses on Smashwords, for Kindle, Nook, iBook downloads and more.

 

                                                                          

 

And check out my book, Roof Oasis, the first book in a series. It's an apocalyptic tale with a twist and you can find it on Amazon. Com and Kindle.

Steampunk Granny's Interview of Bruce Capoferri

                                                             

 

                                 

As you all know, I've recently published my first book, Roof Oasis. It's the first of a series and it's a love story that takes place during the apocalypse. As one of my friends from the South Jersey Writers' Group, James Knipp explained during a book signings for our group's first anthology, "Marie's story is Romeo and Juliet meets "The Walking Dead" done by Jules Vern." 

 

                                                                             

 

But I'm not the only one with good news! Hypothetical Press which was edited my Amy Holiday and Jessica A. Walsh has published their first anthology, Reading Glasses. Hypothetical Press is the publishing arm of The South Jersey Writers' Group and I'll be interviewing all the authors featured in Reading Glasses here on my blog.

 

My first guest is Bruce Capoferri. Bruce Capoferri sells automobiles, but enjoys writing stories and songs in his spare time and is currently working on a novel. He has four autobiographical stories published in Primo Magazine and one in Buona Salute. He lives with his wife, Barbara, and cat, Krikat.

                                                             

Marie Gilbert: Thank you, Bruce, for taking the time to do this interview. I’m happy to meet you and we have a few questions for the people out there. What got you started in writing? What was your inspiration to take pen to paper? What authors inspire you?

 

Bruce Capoferri: I have always been a story teller.  But I have to thank Miss Shepherd, my eighth grade English teacher, for recognizing it and encouraging me.  I wrote a short story entitled The Paradise Lost Affair that she edited and submitted to a teacher’s magazine and got published.  I wish I had gotten a copy of it, because it was the first time I was recognized for having some talent.  I must also blame - I mean, thank - my fantastic coach and brother-in-law, Glenn Walker, for coaxing me into putting my stories down on paper and submitting them to magazines. I have to thank my wonderful wife, Barbara, for introducing me to HP Lovecraft, Phillip K Dick and a host of other fantasy and science fiction writers. Barbara is a children’s librarian and constantly supplies me with a wide variety of fodder for my imagination.

Marie Gilbert: What type of stories do you enjoy writing about?

Bruce Capoferri: The first few stories I got published were autobiographical.  I truly enjoy documenting my slightly askew memories of growing up next to my Italian grandparents in Elm, NJ.  But fantasy and science fiction is right up there as well.  I guess it’s because I can make my characters say and do whatever my devious mind dreams up.  I am in the process of finishing the last few chapters of my first novel and I’m enjoying wreaking mayhem and chaos so much I’m having difficulty reaching the conclusion.

Marie Gilbert: Where did you get the inspiration for this story?

Bruce Capoferri: The inspiration for ‘The Malocchio’ sprang from the Italian belief that someone can impart bad luck upon a rival or enemy with a malevolent glance. Over the years I have also heard this curse referred to as ‘The Maloiks’ or ‘The Maloikies’.  But, no matter how you may pronounce it, my story takes this old world superstition to a more deadly level.

Marie Gilbert: Amy mentioned that you are working on a novel. Could you tell us a little about that?

Bruce Capoferri: “The Children of God and Men” sprang from a conversation I had with my cousin, Sandy Core, at a family reunion.  She mentioned that a short story I had written and shared with her titled “Hitching a Ride on Borrowed Time” reminded her of an excerpt from the book of Genesis in the Bible. It portends that Angels (known as The Watchers) were sent to Earth by God to supervise the development of man-kind.  But finding the women of men attractive, the Angels took as many of the women as they wanted for wives resulting in the births of giants and men of renown (also known as Nephilim). In my research I discovered the banned ‘Book of Enoch’ and then really became intrigued. The book allows me the opportunity to explore comparative religions and how world-wide myths and legends have shaped multi-cultural beliefs. If you enjoy reading stories about conspiracy theories, ancient alien influences and Native American prophecy mixed with apocalyptic action, you will love my book.  By the way, did I mention it is also a dark comedy?

Marie Gilbert: Do you belong to a writers’ group? If so, why and if not, why?

Bruce Capoferri: I'd like to consider myself a member of the South Jersey Writer’s Group because it is the only one who has recognized me. It will also be the first entity to publish one of my stories in a hardback book. The difficulty I have is time to attend meetings.  This is because I am a full time automobile salesman and work most evenings.  I do my best to keep in touch with what is going on, however, and read Writer’s Digest and similar publications. 

Marie Gilbert: Was this the first kickstarter that you ever participated in? What was it about our kickstarter that made you want to help out?

Bruce Capoferri: Although I have submitted my manuscripts to various contests, this was the first one of this type.

Marie Gilbert: Thank you Bruce for doing this interview

Bruce Capoferri: I want to thank everyone at South Jersey Writer’s Group and the Hypothetical Press for making my dream a reality.

 

I hope you enjoyed learning about Bruce Capoferri and in a few days, I'll be posting another interview with J. Keller Ford, another author featured in Reading Glasses.

                                                                        

 

You can find Roof Oasis  on Amazon. com and on kindle.

You can find Reading Glasses on Smashwords, for Kindle, Nook, iBook downloads and more.

Our group will be doing many book signings over the next few months. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say hello. We'll have plenty of books to choose from: Tall Tales and Short Stories from South Jersey (our group's first anthology) What to Expect When You're Dead by John Farquhar, Reading Glasses (A collection of speculative short fiction by Hypothetical Press), and Roof Oasis by Marie Gilbert.