Random Thought

So, today I don’t really know what to post, but I do have a random thought concerning my fantasy universe, the Rai Saga.

I personally do not believe that the existence of our souls ends after death. Nor do I believe that we all become shifters after we die (for those of you who are unfamiliar with the Rai Saga, after you die in the Dominion of Rai you are reborn as a Creature of Rai, an immortal being who can shift from calling form – animal form- to natural form – human form). However, I do believe that after we die, our souls continue to exist, and we have a purpose.

I tried to fictionalize that belief through my Clans of Rai.

Why am I thinking about this right now? Well, there are a few personal things happening in my life, and in the life of my family, that has guided me to think about my own personal mortality and the mortality of my loved ones.

I do not fear death, I embrace it as the next stage of existence. And while I do not know what exactly lies beyond the grave, I choose to believe that there is something, some purpose, for me to serve. And while I truly wish that I will have the ability to shift into a volkrog in the afterlife, I believe that such wishes are best left in the realm of literature.

The Creation of The United as a Screenplay

The Creation of The United as a Screenplay

As I have shared many, many times, I was given the challenge of creating a 1^st draft of a 90 minute screenplay for my novel, The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1.  It was a task which I finished at the end of August this year.

It was monumental task for me, mostly because I built it up a challenge I could not complete in mind. So the first thing I needed to do was believe I could create a screenplay.  Next, I needed to learn how to craft a screenplay. So I found a free course on-line, watched a few different You-Tube videos on how to create a screenplay, and subscribed to a Screenwriter newsletter.

Once I had a feel for how to craft a screenplay, all that was left was to do it. So I bought a screenwriting software, Final Draft. I learned how to use the software, and was ready to actually write it out.

I started with the start of The United. I copied, pasted, and edited the text to fit the formatting necessary for a screenplay in Final Note for the first section, Year The First, of The United.  When I completed that, my screenplay was already at 70 minutes. So I cut stuff out until I was about 30 minutes. That done, I moved on to Year the Next, and when I was done with Year the Next, I was closer to 100 minutes. I could not figure out how to condense The United into so short a screenplay, so I talked with a few author friends. The best suggestion I got back was what did I want my screenplay to focus on, because I obviously could not focus on the story as a whole.  I selected my topic, the relationships between characters and healing from traumatic experiences.  Then I cut content until I was at 60 minutes. By this point I had a good feel for what I wanted to do with my time, and I finished the story at 88 pages (or 88 minutes, 1 page per minute).

It is a horrible 1^st draft, and will not make a good film.  It is too condensed to really engage the interest of the viewers, in my opinion.  However, it is done.  And I am pleased with my effort.

My next screenwriting challenge is to create a screenplay for Cross of Roses, my Fantasy Thriller book about a serial killing priest that takes place about 4 years after the conclusion of The United.

In the end, what really mattered was that I believed I could not write a screenplay. I shifted my belief, to accept that I could attempt it. I learned how to do it, though I admit, imperfectly. And finally I wrote it.  Now, I am excited to try again, with a story idea that I believe will be more marketable as a screenplay than The United.

Lesser known facts about The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1.

Lesser known facts about The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1.

Well, actually the entire Rai Saga series, in general.

Fact 1.

The Rai Saga includes angels and demons with a shifter twist.

In the Rai Saga, after mortality, you become a Creature of Rai.  An immortal being who shape shifts into a specific animal of your choice.  The animal manifestation you choose defines your Clan in Rai.  Your clan defines your purpose in the afterlife.

Wolves are generally assigned to be the civil and military commanders.  Griffins are advisors.  Birds of Prey (falcons, hawks, eagles, and the like) are Guardian Angels to mortals.

Why did I create it that way?  That’s simple, that is how I saw it in my dreams.

Fact 2.

Every living mortal has access to the magical abilities to one’s own world.  The only difference between the wizards and witches (or whatever other name you want to give them such as warlock, sorceress, and so on) and the non-magic folk is training and experience.

Fact 3.

There are multiple Realms of Mortality in the Rai Saga. Some examples from the books are Realm of the Light (TJ’s mortal realm), Realm of Zhestoviya (Master Serv’s mortal realm), Realm of Tyomnata (Ot’s mortal realm), Realm of the Triad (I have yet to write any stories that take place on the Realm of the Triad, but I have epic ideas of the story), and the Realm of Terra (our world).

Fact 4.

The Realm of the Light is a parallel realm to our own.  I originally did not create it that way, however, after a conversation with my publisher after he read The United, he pointed out that he felt The Realm of the Light Series would work out better for me if I made it a parallel realm.  I thought about his suggestion, liked his suggestion, and then had to rewrite every book I had drafted in the Realm of the Light Series to be consistent with that suggestion. 

Inspiration for TJ’s Hydrophobia in The United

 

 

A main character in The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1 is TJ Parkinson.

TJ has three unique physical traits.  All three of the traits are based on my personal experiences.

1st, his sensistivity to bright lights. You may recall from the book that whenever he was exposed to bright lights, he got a headache. Tgerefore he always wore sunglasses. I have that same problem. When i step outside on a bright day without my sunglasses, i sneeze, and on occassion get a headache. I have a couple friends and a couple brothers who also sneeze in sunlight which i have learned after doing a quick google search is fairly common, effecting approximately 25% of the human population.

Image by Madhurima Handa from Pixabay

Second is TJ’s stutter and omission and odd phrasing of words. This trait to him is naturally occuring, but for me it is the result of a concussion caused by a traumatic blow to my head that litterally knocked my head on straight. No seriously, all the curvature in my neck was straightened out. The consequences of that blow extended beyond the stutter to other cognitive issues, such as a constant dull headache that lasted over ten years.

The third physical trait TJ suffered from was hydrophobia.

I am a natural born hydrophobe.

The only time in my mother’s life she was afraid of water was while she was pregnant with me. While in open water, or thinking about being in open water, or dreaming about open water my breath gets short, i get light headed, i clench my fists, i am told my skin turns pale, and I am afraid.

The one good thing i have learned from dealing with hydrophobia is to not allow my fears to control my actions.

The United as a Screenplay

 

 

As many of you may know already, I am working on creating The United as screenplay.  During that process, I have been reviewing The United, and thinking about what would and would not work on film.

Thus far, this is what I have:

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Impressive, huh?  I’m really going to make some big waves with that one.

As far as backgrounds, well, I need Cave Spring, obviously.

TJ’s house, Amanda’s mansion, TJ and LyAnn’s home.

 

There has been some chatter about changing the cinematic timeline from the book so Blaze and Amanda get married when Blaze is 18, not 17.  LyAnn gets pregnant with HeatherAnn after TJ and LyAnn get married, rather than the night he proposes.  Those changes can happen, I suppose.  I did them in the book for specific reasons, but those reasons are not needed in the film.  What is needed is everyone who dies in The United book needs to die in the film, in case we do a screenplay for Shades of Mortality.

 

Enough from me, what about from you?  What are some things you would like to see in a film version of The United that may or may not be in the book?

 

Cross of Roses Inspiration

Mornin Friends!

Let’s keep this short and sweet so i can go back to editing Cross of Roses.

Speaking of my newest novel, where did the idea come from?

It all started with a chapter about Miranda Hunter’s backstory.

But as i wrote edited the chapter, tried fitting it in as an epilogue or prologue in the Realm of the Light series, it did not fit anywhere.

Then a short while ago, Ally Scarborough and i were chatting and she suggested i might be good at writing thrillers.

I thought about it a while, and eventually came to realize that Miranda Hunter’s chapter would be a great early chapter in a thriller novel.

So, there you have it.

Not all inspiration comes at once, sometimes it takes me while before i can piece together my dreams and ideas into a cohesive story.

The United Inspirations SPOILER EDITION PART 2!

 

 

 

Mornin!

 

Last week I talked about detailed inspirations for The United, well today I would like to continue in that conversation and discuss a couple inspirations about specific situations, hence the SPOILER EDITION PART 2 added to the title of the blog post.

 

 

WHY ARCTYRUS IS NOT IN THE UNITED

During the time of The United, Arctyrus and Amyrith Hunter had 1 job, keep their little brother Vulktyramous from interfering and killing TJ and his friends.

 

 

PHYSICAL INTIMACY AND WHY I PORTRAYED IT THE WAY I DID

The inspiration for this was simple, I wanted TJ and LyAnn to have the type of relationship with their parents that I wish I had as a teenager.  I don’t mean to say anything negative about my parents, so I will stick to just the positive on this subject.  Physical intimacy in any form, but especially in regards to sex, was a topic I never discussed with my parents at all, ever.  I felt it was taboo and even if it was not taboo, I was too embarrassed and too naïve to know what to ask.  So I came at the topic from a few different angles.

Was the way I dealt with premarital intimacy over-kill and preachy?  Possibly, especially in the earliest published drafts.

 

 

AMANDA ADAMS

This is a bit of funny story, but Amanda Adams was not in any of original drafts.  Her involvement in The United came about one day when I was thinking about the story, and I daydreamed or dreamed (I forget which) that a petite redhead with blue eyes came up to me, hands on her hips, and said something to the effect that, “You cannot tell this story without me.  I’m Amanda Adams, Blaze’s wife.”  And she relayed to me her history and how it fit into the story.

 

For info about The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1, click here.

Perspective

Today I want to keep it short and sweet.

 

I have been going over old notes, and of course rifling through the contents of the original backpack that Kestrel provided me shortly after I agreed to chronicle the history of the Rai Saga on the Realm of the Light in preparation of writing The United as an original screenplay.

 

As I was looking through the bag, I found an interior side pocket that has previous escaped my notice.  I opened the pocket and found an old piece of paper that was folded up in a square.  I unfolded the paper.  On it was another original poem by Jason Christian Robinson.

Here is the poem.  Let me know what you think.

 

 

– Jason Christian Robinson

 

Death is not the end of existence

It is the gateway to the next stage of mortality

As a Creature of Rai

 

 

The United Inspirations SPOILER EDITION!

 

Mornin!

 

Last week I talked about inspirations for The United, well today I would like to continue in that theme, and talk about a couple inspirations about specific situations, hence the SPOILER EDITION added to the title of the blog post.

 

DEATH:

The number one comment I get back from The United, either as a comment or complaint, is that all the protagonists die.  To which I always reply, “The United is about Blaze, and he didn’t die.”  And one thing to keep in mind about death in the Rai Saga, is that those beloved characters come back later as Creatures of Rai, either as angels or demons, pending on whose teaching they choose to follow.

On the overall subject of death.  The United was never a happily ever after comedy, in the simplest terms of literary phrase, where the protagonist finds love, gets married, and lives happily ever after.  The United was ALWAYS about how you die, what you are willing to give your life for, and what you are willing to live for.

I will be completely honest with you, in the original story, the character of LyAnn has always died after giving birth to HeatherAnn, leaving TJ single father. Why does LyAnn die?  That’s easy, LyAnn’s death was the only way I could get TJ motivated to do anything against Lord Yrimwaque.  As shown in Blaze’s character, death is a powerful motivator.  Initially taking care of HeatherAnn was TJ’s reason to live, but as I came to know him better through our many interviews, TJ told me he could never kill anyone, even Lord Yrimwaque.  (Yes, I interview my literary characters often.)

TJ died because he was put in a kill or be killed situation, and he refused to kill Lord Yrimwaque.  In the course of our many conversations, he confided in me that he believed at that time he valued the life of others more than his own death.  And Lord Yrimwaque did not share that belief.

Byron’s death.  *sigh.  From the start of the ‘Dark Fang’ short stories, TJ always had two friends.  In one version they were cousins, in another twins, then finally I came to understand they were brothers, Blaze and Byron.  In The United, Byron died saving TJ’s and Blaze’s lives before any of them really understood what they were up against.  Byron’s death fueled TJ’s drive to live life to its fullest, and Blaze’s need for revenge.  Once again, using death as a motivating factor for character development.

Amanda’s death.  I cry every time I read or edit Amanda’s death.  Her life was meant to continue.  She was meant to be HeatherAnn’s adopted mother, but Lord Yrimwaque had different plans.

 

 

WHY THE LIGHT ALLOWED THE TRAGEDY TO TAKE PLACE:

Creatures of Rai are angels and demons.  After death, our soul wakes up on the Hill of Entrance in the Realm of Rai as a Creature of Rai.  Therefore death is not the end of existence, but merely the gateway to the next stage of existence.

As Creatures of Rai, the Creator has great things in store for TJ, LyAnn, Amanda, Byron, and Blaze.  To become the person they need to be to fulfill their future roles, they needed to fight against Lord Yrimwaque alone in mortality.  Simple as that.  The Creator, not the Light, willed it because He has great things in store for them, great things that they cannot accomplish without those mortal experiences.

 

 

For more info on The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1, click here.

The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1 Inspirations

Inspirations for The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1

 

 

Today I want to share what inspired various aspects of The United, The Realm of the Light Book 1.

As I have shared many times before, the plot for Book the First of The United was inspired by a 5^th Grade Halloween-themed Creative Writing Assignment.  Funnily enough, after I turned it in, my asked me if I wanted to publish it in a magazine of short stories written by 5^th graders, and I told her “No, I don’t want to be a published author.”

The plot for Book the Second of The United came along by means of a Creative Writing assignment in the 7^th Grade.  And Book the Last in 10^th Grade.

Other aspects of the story.

In Book the Second, I made the antagonist of the story a shifter.  So, when I went to make The United into a novel, I did a lot of research on Native American shifters, and learned about the Skinwalkers and Manidones.  So, in the early novel versions of The United, called “The Legend of Jacob Hunter,” Jacob Hunter was a Manidone.

Denizens.  Well, the concept of a denizen came to me in a dream.  I dreamed about a clan of immortals who I met just before boarding The Titanic (yes, I am actually referring to the dream that originally inspired ‘The Viscount of Sternboard’).  The immortals had the physical prowess and immortality of vampires, but they were not undead.  So I got thinking about that and I realized that denizens were not immortals, per se, they were the offspring of an immortal and a mortal that could only be killed by means of decapitation.  Otherwise they would heal from any infirmity and never die.

And finally, those who have read The United, are well aware that is full of teen-drama.  Such as TJ and LyAnn’s relationship (dating-engagement-premarital conception of HeatherAnn-marriage).  Blaze and Amanda’s relationship, dating, breaking up, dating again, and marriage.  Amanda and Angie’s friendship.  Susan’s reaction to her fiancé’s death.  TJ’s depression, and so on.  All of those events were inspired by various dreams and day-dreams.

For more about The United, check out this page.