Stop Believing in Soul Mates

In the News this week: A boy murdered a girl because they broke up with him. Then he died from a gunshot wound. While we’re pointing fingers at his father for owning the gun, or the mental health industry for not seeing whatever they didn’t see, or the gun lobby for being the gun lobby, let’s also take a damned close look at the entertainment industry.

For a start, over the next few days listen closely to the lyrics of your music, and ask yourself how many of them talk about “ownership” or “heartbreak” or “no one else for me”. From John Lennon’s “Woman”, to every country song that’s not about drinking or a truck.

See, here’s the thing. There are some amazing relationships out there, but none…NONE…of them are more important than the individuals within the relationships. That’s not how we’ve been raised, though. From music to movies to television, even to books, we’ve been taught about “soul mates” and “split-apart hearts” and “perfect mates”, and it’s all BULLSHIT.

LOVE isn’t bullshit, what’s bullshit is that there’s only one truly great love in a person’s life, that without that person, we are incomplete, worthless. Of course, when we lose a great love our hearts break and we feel less than we were with them. We feel incomplete. That’s natural and the big risk of falling in love. The whole was greater than the parts…but the removal of one part does not negate the remaining parts!

The great myth is that life is over when that love leaves. It’s not. It might feel like it. It might hurt like hell, especially if the two hearts were intertwined in all the best ways, but the cool thing about humans is that we’re resilient. We survive. We can even bounce back.

But we train our children from a young age that life begins and ends with finding a mate. Maybe you didn’t do this to your children directly, but the movies, the books, the shows you shared with them, did. No date for the prom? You’re a loser. A virgin at 20, you must be ugly and worthless. Not married by 25, you must be gay or a freak or both.

Even our language indicates that a relationship equals ownership. “She is MY…” “He is MY…” “I HAVE a…”

I’m not pointing a finger at anyone else without pointing one at myself, too. I’m the biggest romantic on the planet. Just read my stories. But I also know that for every time my heart was torn out of my chest, it found its way back home, eventually.

I’m not saying we need to stop writing/producing/singing love stories, we just need to teach our children that life doesn’t begin and end with one other person, so that they grow up with a healthy attitude toward relationships.

Finally, to all my friends who have lost their spouse, their partner for life… I send sincere hugs. Your pain is real and valid and sometimes bigger than you are…but it is not more IMPORTANT than you are.

My rant is done. Hug your loved ones. And if you don’t have any loved ones, hug yourself…because your value is just as great.

Ciao for now.

T-Bone.

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And Then the Work Paid Off! A Novel Sold!

It is with great pleasure that I announce the acquisition of my somewhat romantic paranormal novel, “Waking Anastasia”, by Tyche Books of Calgary, for release in 2016.

For me this is a monumentous event, as it confirms that what I think of as a delightful story about life, death, and dying is shared by someone who isn’t a family member.

So what is “Waking Anastasia” about? Well, here’s the pitch that got the manuscript read in the first place:

Why should being murdered keep Anastasia Romanova from living it up a little? She’s just a ghost, floating in front of a boy, wanting to be loved.

When Jerry Powell inherits a torn, bloodstained book of poetry he has no idea that it contains the soul of Anastasia Romanova. But when he accidentally awakens the royal ghost, he discovers that death hasn’t dulled her sense of mischief and joy for life whatsoever. Now he just has to keep up with her while dealing with a new job, a new city, and the possibility of a brain tumour.

“Waking Anastsia” is a humour-filled, paranormal, love story pitting a dying radio station manager soured on love and women against the ever-optimistic, century-dead teenaged Grand Duchess.

Alexandra Romanova and her four daughters, including Anastasia, second from the right.

I will be blogging much more later on about how the story started as a dream, became a screenplay, and then morphed into a novel. There will be all sorts of stuff about the research to bring Anastasia to life “as never before” as one critiquer has said, as well as where the history and the fiction blend.

Film rights are still available, so hurry. 2018 is the 100th anniversary of Anastasia’s murder. 🙂

That’s it, that’s all. Watch this page for further details in the months to come.

Thank you for all of your support. For a complete list of my currently available stories, check out my Amazon Author page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003KCV338.

Ciao for now,

Tim.

www.tgmreynolds.com

A Short Summary of Tim Reynolds’ Published Short Fiction Since 9-2011

Howdy.

It has been a busy 12 months for my suddenly-alive short story writing and I thought I’d quickly toss up the covers of the projects done and the ones scheduled before the end of 2012. Let’s start with the Photoshopped writer’s shelf.

Writer’s Tears with writer’s cheers (covers).

Imaginarium 2012: Containing “Hawkwood’s Folly” by Tim Reynolds.

In Places Between 2012: Contains “Lyoshka & the Steam Butterfly” by Tim Reynolds.

Mytherium: Tales of Mythical and Magical Creatures. Contains “Dragons in Suburbia” by Tim Reynolds.

Cavalcade Of Terror: Contains “Of Monsters and Men” by Tim Reynolds.

Danse Macabre: Encounters with the Reaper. Contains “Blue-Black Night” by Tim Reynolds.

Shanghai Steam: Contains “The Ability of Lightness” by Tim Reynolds

I’ll Never Go Away 2: Contains “Danny in the Dark” by Tim Reynolds.

20001: A Steampunk Odyssey: Contains “Hawkwood’s Folly” by Tim Reynolds.

That’s it, so far. There are a couple web-based publications without cover art and there are some pending projects, but these are the anthologies from the last year, up to the end of October 2012.

More information can be found at www.tgmreynolds.com or on Amazon.com at my Author Central Page: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B003KCV338.

It’s Friday night and I needs food, so

Ciao for now.

T-Bone.

The Search for the ‘Perfect’ Author Photo of an Imperfect Author

Author Tim Reynolds, who specializes in stories that mess with history and time.

Very quickly (it’s late): I have tried numerous photos to represent me and my writing and got carried away trying to put all of the book covers into the shot now that I actually have some to add, but in my life & writing there are some common elements which I think can be better represented than they have been.

I refuse to do a serious photo with my chin on my fist — that’s intellectual cheesecake and smacks of lack of imagination. If we can write amazing stories, can we not imagine a photo which shows readers who we are (or as much as we’re willing to reveal)?

I can. So here’s the latest incarnation of my author photo. This one is for my Tim Reynolds/Timothy Reynolds/Timothy G.M. Reynolds self. My pen names will just have to find their own photos. This shot shows a skull prop from one of my stories (“Hawkwood’s Folly”) and the watch from my as-yet-unpublished “Picking a Professor”, which got me started collecting cool pocket watches. Photoshop 5 was used to put it all together. But what’s most important here is that this shot shows my sense of mischief (I hope). All you can expect from my stories is the unexpected, and maybe a sense of fun.

That’s it, that’s all.

Ciao for now,

T-Bone.

End the Glorifying of Serial/Fame Killers

RANT & Rhetorical Question TIME: Does knowing about horrific crimes deter us from committing anything similar? Or does it just titillate and entertain us? 

What if there was an immediate publication ban on the names of all fame/serial killers so that they can’t achieve ANY degree of fame or infamy. We don’t learn from past mistakes so why glorify them? 

Give the f**kers a numerical code, not cool monickers (Hillside Strangler) or ANY photos. 

For every sick, twisted, murdering freak loving the press and attention, there are dozens more already trying to figure out how they can do one better. Bundy, Gacey, Dahlmer, Berkowitz… if we didn’t even know their names people couldn’t identify with them and perpetuate their infamy. 

How many people would follow the story of a serial killer and his trial if the details were limited to “Some guy killed some people and will probably not be put in general population in prison because he has still has rights he gave up when he took another life”?

And not just ban the publication of the names and details, but make the penalties for doing so so steep that a publication couldn’t afford to violate the rule.

Yah, I hear you now chanting “Freedom of the Press!”, “Freedom of Information”, “The people have a right to know!” “You can’t tell us what we can and can’t know!” “That’s censorship!”

You say that now, but I bet if any of you lost a family member to serial/fame-killer(s) you’d change your tune. Have I? Of course not. I don’t need to feel the pain first hand to recognize that a serious-ass problem exists and everyone of you who repeat a name or read an article are part of the problem. 

Evil doesn’t create these beasts, WE do. 

(Rant done. Back to writing about fictional societies that are even more broken than our own.)

 

Ciao for now,

T-Bone.

Humor/Humour

Humour… let’s get this topic started.

This is not meant to be an all-encompassing dissertation on the nature of ‘funny’, simply a few notes to get your brains oiled. My focus here is aimed primarily at humour in fiction.

There are many different reasons for a character to use humour, including seeking social approval, self-defence against a bully, or even to facilitate bullying, which can lead right back to ‘social approval’ and ‘self-defence’when the reason for bullying is examined. For me it was always about self defence. I was a little guy who got picked on a lot but when I could make them laugh, they stopped shoving me around and listened. I also did my share of bullying for the same reason. I’m not proud of that.

Tim Reynolds slaughtering sacred cows at The Laugh Shop in Calgary.

Different styles of humour include sarcasm (Wikipedia: “a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt, usually conveyed through irony or understatement”), self-‘defecating’ (when you crap on yourself before anyone else can. Rodney Dangerfield: “I was so ugly when I was born that the doctor slapped my mother!”), puns (word play which suggests two or more meanings. George Carlin: “Atheism is a non-prophet institution”), and what stand-up comics call ‘street jokes’: “A priest, a rabbi, and an alien walk into a bar…”

In a piece of fiction, humour can be used to define a character: a goofy character with low confidence and self-esteem might make fun of themselves; or an insecure female supervisor might use humiliation and sarcasm to lift themselves up while putting underlings down (Janice the Supervisor in the film “WANTED”).

Or it might be used to relieve tension amongst the characters: “George, if you don’t put the gun down, Bob will shoot you in the… hey! Who farted?! George, was that you? Goddammit, George!”

…or tension in the story: The Shining. Jack Nicholson’s character, Jack Torrance, snaps, takes an axe to the bathroom door, pokes his face through the opening… “Heeeere’s Johnny!” In spite of the situation Shelley Di=uvall’s character is in, the moment makes us laugh a little and snaps the rubber band of fear building up to this point.

A character can also be defined by their lack of sense of humour, with regards to the situation or the other characters. A wise-cracking thug might just get shot in the head by a crime boss who just doesn’t get the joke.

Humour can be overdone, too, like the best friend who’s always claiming that the street jokes he’s telling really happened to him “I was working in this bar when a priest, a rabbi and an alien walked in…” or the one who has to make a pun of EVERYTHING. Used effectively, though, both good or bad humour is a writing tool to add depth to characters, scenes and your overall story.

Irma Bombeck had readers laughing from her opening sentence and she still got her message across. Stephen King uses humour to pop the bubble of tension so he can build you back up to a higher plateau of fear before scaring you off the summit, screaming land shaking all the way to the bottom.

Not everyone is funny, though, and that includes writers as well as their characters. You may have to watch a few YouTube videos to find out both what appeals to you as a reader/listener and as a writer. Humour is a language and if you’re not fluent, you can still study a little, take what you need, and make your story even more relatable to the readers.

Just my thoughts. Take ’em or leave ’em.

Ciao for now.

Tim.

Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise taken from Fairview Lookout.

This is my photo of Chateau Lake Louise at the shore of glacial Lake Louise in Banff National Park.I sold the original to the hotel back in the 90s and this link is from their website where they are still using the image.

Yes, the Lake really is that colour. This was taken in the fall after the first snowfall (late Sept or early Oct) but before the lake freezes. The lake doesn’t thaw again until June so to get clear skies, fresh snow and no ice is a real treat for a photographer up there, even one who lives in the buildings behind the hotel.

Damn, I miss the place. But cold? It hit -60C with windchill there once and -40 isn’t uncommon. And winter is outrageously long. No wonder we drank a lot.

Once the lake freezes nearby Brewster Stables runs horse-drawn sleigh rides down one shore of the lake. Cuddle with your sweetie under the blankets and see one of the most stunning winter views in North America.

Time to go make some tea, because just thinking about winter up there makes me cold. I used to work ON the frozen lake in winter, standing next to an ice castle, offering people hot chocolate. Hey, someone had to do it.

 

Ciao for now.

Tim.

Photo by Timothy G.M. Reynolds. Image is the property of Fairmont Hotels and Resorts.