True Life and Fiction

Although I really introduced Leonidas in the last scene, this scene is where one might begin to get some insight into his personality. Yes, he is a snotty young, self-righteous, spoiled ass but everyone must begin somewhere. Please enjoy and tell me what you think in the comments section. Leonidas burst through the double doors of his father's bedroom. He did not bother to knock first, and ran in already yelling about the self-righteous brat, Alexis; but his father, sick and in bed, barely moved. "That Califan girl is an indignant prude." Leo flailed his arms as if attempting flight as he spoke. "I just reminded her of our arranged mating and she nearly choked me to death, and ran off." His father slowly raised his hand in an attempt to stop the rant. "My guess is that you were doing more than just reminding her of the arrangement." His father stopped to catch his breath before continuing. "If you cannot grow up and learn some humility, you...

No, this is not some kind of sales pitch where I try to convince you that if you purchase a tremendous inventory of daly-wags you will soon be rich beyond your wildest dreams. Of course, before your dream of riches comes to fruition, you will have to convince twelve other people to buy the same useless inventory and have them convince twelve people each to do the same. Then you will become rich -- or broke. I guarantee at least one of those things will happen. Wait. Where was I going with this. No, really. I'm not here to sell you anything. Well, although that could be debated, I would like to present you with the opportunity to help a good friend and new author. A friend of mine recently entered the author foray and has published his first book. It is a mystery story and, though I've had the opportunity to read some of his draft editions, I wanted to provide links for his website and works for those of you just itching to read something new. The Author's name is We...

I n today's excerpt, a new character is introduced: Leonidas. Leonidas is the son of the Caesar, the current leader within the community. Unfortunately, he is a stubborn, stupid, and self-righteous young man who causes more trouble than good. I hope you absolutely hate this character. Furthermore, I hope that, as the story progresses, you'll come to understand him-maybe even pity him-although that's entirely up to you. Alexis barely heard the creaking wooden door over her sobs. She turned to the sound but remained crouching in the dark corner behind stacks of apple crates. A shadow moved across the ground and she knew it was Leonidas before he came into view. As he cornered the row of apple crates, she jumped up to a standing position. She attempted to quickly brush her hands across her face and hide evidence of her sobbing. "I was walking by and heard someone inside, so I decided to check it out," A smirk formed on his mouth, creasing the edges in single si...

T his week I introduce you to the first main character of the story. One might feel a little of her personality right from the beginning, Yes, she is strong-willed but is still young. This excerpt also provides some insight into the kind of community she lives in, their social hierarchy, and customs. Enjoy, and please comment below with thoughts and criticisms if you desire to do so. "I just will not do it, and there is not a soul on this earth that can make me.” Alexis stood up straight and stared her parents down for the first time in her life. "And that includes the two of you." She immediately shrank back into the kitchen chair, tears welling up in her eyes despite her best efforts. "We know you don't understand now, Lexi," her mother reached out to stroke her dark hair. "But, in time you'll realize that marrying Leonidas will be the best thing for our family, and our entire community." "What about what I want?" Alexis ask...

I suppose I should not be calling them "zombies" but "walkers" instead. I mean, that's what they're called on AMC's The Walking Dead. As the title implies, I was fortunate enough to recently tour various filming sights around Senoia, Georgia for the previously mentioned show. We decided this year that, instead of spending money on expensive gifts that might be forgotten by the new year, we would invest in an experience that we could share. So, shortly after Christmas, we dropped family off at the Atlanta airport and pointed our car South to Senoia. Overall, the experience was great. This was a bus tour and we were given these nifty bracelets to distinguish us among the masses as the geeky movie tourists we were. The tour guide was a self-described professional walker. Yes, he was an actor for the show and had been a walker on numerous occasions. His claim to fame is that he'd been killed by nearly every cast member in many different ways. ...