Finding the Groove

I mentioned in an earlier post that I had a few books I wanted to get written this year. Frankly, though, our business is taking off and putting enormous demands on our time, and that time sink is only going to get deeper. So, I'm going to have to consider the possibility that I might only get one or two books done this year. I'm just not sure which ones I want to get done. Should I stick with fantasy? Go back to science fiction? Maybe do some more of my steampunk superheroes? Or go back to where it all began, and write another Cameron Vail mystery?

Ideally, I want to do all of those this year. Realistically, there's just no way I can do it and get anything remotely resembling actual sleep at the same time. So, I'm going to have to pick and choose.

A mystery is actually not that difficult to write; I wrote the second one, The Missing Magnate, in eleven days while working at a full-time job. I literally wrote it in between customer service calls, completely off the top of my head. So, that's very doable.

For fantasy, I have three different series that I want to continue: The Shadowmage, for which I already have the full ideas sketched out for the second book; Meterra, my first fantasy series, for which the books are generally shorter; and the Gemswords, which has been my dream for an epic fantasy series with a bit of a twist.

Science fiction? I've only done the one book, Bard Conley's Adventures Around the Solar System. The advantage of science fiction is that I'm not limited to any particular theme; I could do another Bard Conley book, or just go in a completely different direction.

Steampunk superheroes is something I would like to keep going with; it's not a common subject, and while I'm not doing actual comic books with artwork, I can still tell the stories in a pulp style. Of course, I would be continuing in the Gilded Age, where I started off with Awakening and continuing the stories of the new breed of enhanced people (and animals).

So, any suggestions from the readers? If you've read any of my stuff, let me know what you thought, and what you'd like to see more of. If you haven't, I've got links to six of my books above to get you started. I do want to get back into the writing groove, and while I can't commit to the schedule I was hoping for, I can at least get something done and published in 2026.

Legend of the Silver Screen: Douglas Fairbanks

Douglas Fairbanks is not a name that most people today will recognize. Neither the original, nor Doug Fairbanks Jr., who followed in his father's footsteps into the movie industry as both an actor and producer. But he is easily one of the most important and most influential movie stars of all time. He was a founding member of United Artists in 1919, and the following year effectively introduced a whole new genre of movie to the audiences of America: The swashbuckling action/adventure movie, with the magnificent The Mark of Zorro. Yeah, I'm on a theme right now. Bear with me.

Fairbanks started out as a comedic actor, but that field was full of extraordinary talents such as Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton. Still, Fairbanks, who debuted on screen in 1915, had an athletic prowess that made him stand out among his peers. He specialized in romantic comedies, rather than the highbrow slapstick (now there's a contradiction in terms) of Chaplin and Keaton. He met Mary Pickford, then the most popular actress on the planet, in 1917, and their long-standing affair (both were married to other people) was something of an open secret in the Hollywood scene. They eventually divorced their partners and married each other, and were considered Hollywood royalty among fans of the silver screen all over the world. In 1919, Pickford, Fairbanks, Chaplin, and director D.W. Griffith formed their own production studio, United Artists, in defiance of the studios that were monopolizing distribution and exhibitors across the nation.

By 1920, Fairbanks was one of the most popular actors in the world, and had starred in 29 pictures, most of them of a comic nature. But then he read Johnston McCulley's The Curse of Capistrano, and immediately knew he had to make that story into a movie. And so he did, with the aforementioned Mark of Zorro movie. It was such a big hit that Fairbanks immediately went to work on other adventure-costume movies such as The Three Musketeers (1921), Robin Hood (1922), The Thief of Baghdad (1924), The Black Pirate (1926 and the first color swashbuckling movie), The Gaucho (1927), and The Iron Mask (1929). These were all silent movies; Fairbanks didn't do as well with audiences when talkies came along, and his health was declining at the same time; his athleticism wasn't what it used to be. By 1934, he was retired from movies altogether, and passed away in 1939 at the age of 56.

Fairbanks' legacy is monumental. He was the first president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the guys who hand out the Oscars), the first (along with Pickford) to put hand and footprints into the wet cement in front of Grauman's Chinese Theatre, the first to receive a posthumous Honorary Oscar in 1939. And of course, he was the blueprint for stars like Errol Flynn and Tyrone Power, who would both reprise roles made famous by Fairbanks (Robin Hood and Zorro, respectively).

So, when you watch an action movie, especially one with acrobatics and swordplay, take a moment to remember the man who started it all just over a century ago. And maybe check out his body of work; most of it is in the public domain now, even in the United States. All the movies I listed above are in that category, so you can see them for free online.

Not a Good Week...

My apologies for the lack of posting the last few days. As you can see, things weren't exactly great. Thursday saw a very narrow escape from what could have been much, much worse. Trying to avoid a snowplow on the road, I stupidly hit the brakes and the car slid off the road, missing the guardrail by maybe three inches, going into a gully and hitting a sign and a tree. Had we gone over the guardrail, it's very likely the car would have flipped over into the gully, and the snow was waist-deep. It's only by the grace of God that things weren't worse. The tow truck driver was able to pull it out of the gully and bring it to the farm; we were less than a mile down the road from our house when it happened, so it was an easy trip.

The insurance adjuster hasn't been by yet to look at the car, but since the front wheel is completely off and the front end is a total mess, I'd say it's pretty much a guaranteed write-off. We'll see what happens.

So, I'll get back to posting properly soon enough; I'm still a bit shaken up by the experience since Garrett, our youngest and autistic child, was in the back seat. He's been complaining about his wrist, so we're going to get him to the doctor's office on Monday to get him checked out. It doesn't look broken or sprained, but we'll find out Monday.

The Curse of Capistrano (1919)

Well, why not? I mean, I just reviewed a fantastic movie that spins off from this story; now it's time to look back at the original Zorro story, The Curse of Capistrano by Johnston McCulley. It's set in the early 19th century in California, about a hundred years before the writing. So it would be like someone today writing a book set in the early 20th century. It doesn't seem all that long ago when you think about it. McCulley's grandparents might have been living at the time the story is set.

Anyway, The Curse of Capistrano first appeared as a serialized novel in All-Story Weekly, from August 9th to September 6th, 1919. It was an instant hit, and made even more popular when one of Hollywood's biggest stars, Douglas Fairbanks Sr., adapted the story into the movie The Mask of Zorro, which was released in 1920 and became the template for the action-adventure genre of movies.

The movie is a close retelling of the original story, much more than later adaptations would be. And while much of the story would seem cliché to modern readers, back a century ago those clichés were just getting started. McCulley weaves a skillful tale of what appears to be two separate men: Don Diego Vega (the de la Vega comes many years later), a foppish Spanish nobleman who has the energy of a wilted flower and the drive of a broken-down Pinto, and the dashing masked swordsman, Zorro, whose skill and daring enthrall the countryside even as the government hunts him down. It isn't until the very end of the book that the truth is revealed, that Zorro and Vega are the same man. Shocking, I know. But back then, this was not a common trope. So readers of the time would likely have been at least somewhat surprised, if not shocked at the revelation.

Of course, moviegoers since the original 1920 release knew early on who was behind the mask of Zorro; they just had to recognize the actor, if they didn't already know the story. But McCulley takes pains to ensure that secret is closely kept as long as possible. And it works. Even knowing the truth, the distinction between the two personas is crystal clear, and it's impossible to imagine that the lackadaisical de la Vega could possibly be the sinister man of mystery.

So, what's the story? Well, you know it well enough already. Zorro is going through the California countryside terrorizing government officials who are themselves terrorizing the peasantry of the territory (this is set decades before California becomes a state; in fact, it isn't even American territory yet). The plot is quite lengthy, so I won't quote it, but you can read it here if you don't want to read the actual story. But it's a really good story, so you really should read that instead. Or, if you prefer audiobooks, that's available for free as well.

So, if you want to read or hear one of the stories that inspired the Batman himself, check it out. And yes, Zorro was so influential that Bruce Wayne's parents canonically took him to see The Mask of Zorro the night they were killed. Even the Golden Age Batman (who watched the 1920 version).

The Mask of Zorro (1998)

 

I can't believe I haven't reviewed this movie before. It's still one of my favorites. It's got action, adventure, humor, romance...really, it's very nearly a perfect movie. It never takes itself too seriously, but it never becomes a farce, either. The fact that it's got a measly 6.8/10 rating on IMDB shows that site is not to be taken seriously. Rotten Tomatoes is at 86%, which is better, but still short of the mark.

Here's the plot summary, via Wikipedia:

In 1821, masked swordsman Zorro defends the commoners of Alta California from Spanish oppression. Corrupt governor Don Rafael Montero sets a trap for Zorro at the public execution of three peasants. Zorro stops the execution, and Montero's soldiers are defeated by two young brothers, Alejandro and Joaquín Murrieta. Zorro fights the remaining soldiers and thanks the brothers by giving Joaquín a medallion. Montero deduces Spanish-born nobleman Don Diego de la Vega is Zorro and attempts to arrest him at his home. A swordfight and then a fire breaks out, and de la Vega's wife Esperanza, whom Montero covets, is murdered in the process. While the building burns, Montero takes de la Vega's infant daughter, Elena, as his own before imprisoning de la Vega and returning to Spain.

In 1841, Alejandro and Joaquín are bandits and conmen trying to steal a strongbox. They, however, fail and are caught by Captain Harrison Love, employed by Montero's company. Alejandro escapes, but a wounded Joaquín commits suicide. Meanwhile, Montero returns to California with the now adult Elena. Because of Montero, Elena believes her mother died in childbirth. Montero's reappearance motivates de la Vega to escape captivity. He encounters a drunk Alejandro and recognizes the medallion he gave his brother. He agrees to make Alejandro his protégé in order for them to take revenge on their respective enemies, Montero and Love. Alejandro agrees to undergo de la Vega's intense training in Zorro's secret lair underneath the ruins of his family estate, in hopes of being named his successor.

While still being trained, Alejandro steals a stallion resembling Zorro's steed Tornado from the local garrison, masked like "Zorro" and barely escaping. De la Vega scolds Alejandro, asserting that Zorro was a servant of the people, not a thief. He challenges Alejandro to gain Montero's trust instead. Alejandro poses as visiting nobleman Don Alejandro del Castillo y García, with de la Vega as his servant Bernardo, and attends a party at Montero's hacienda. There, he earns Elena's admiration and enough of Montero's trust to be invited to a secret meeting between noblemen. Montero hints at a plan to overthrow Mexican rule in California and proclaim it as an independent republic by buying it from Santa Anna, who needs money for the upcoming Mexican–American War.

Montero takes Alejandro and the noblemen to a secret gold mine where peasants and prisoners are used for slave labor. He plans to buy California from Santa Anna using gold mined from his own land. While walking in a market, Elena meets the woman who was her nanny. She tells Elena her parents' real identity. De la Vega sends Alejandro, now Zorro, to steal Montero's map leading to the gold mine. Zorro duels Montero, Love, and their guards at the hacienda. When he escapes, Elena chases him, attempting to retrieve Montero's map. After a sword duel, Zorro kisses her and flees.

Fearing Santa Anna's retribution, Montero decides to destroy the mine and kill the workers to leave no witnesses. De la Vega tells Alejandro to release the workers on his own so he can reclaim Elena. Alejandro sets off, feeling betrayed by de la Vega's vendetta. De la Vega corners Montero at the hacienda and reveals his identity, before Montero captures him. While being taken away, de la Vega tells Elena the name of the flowers she recognized upon her arrival in California, convincing her that he is her father. She releases de la Vega from his cell. They proceed to the mine, where Alejandro and de la Vega duel and slay Love and Montero respectively, avenging Joaquin and Esperanza. Elena and Alejandro free the workers before the explosives go off and find the mortally wounded de la Vega. Before dying, he makes peace with the pair and gives his blessings for Alejandro to continue as Zorro and be with Elena. Sometime later, Alejandro and Elena are married with an infant son "Joaquín", whom Alejandro names after his brother and tells of the deeds of Zorro.

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Ah, memories. The summary doesn't really do the movie justice. I've read the original Zorro book (The Curse of Capistrano), which I will have to do a review on. This is not connected to that book at all; the Zorro story has been told and retold and remade so many times that this is more of a sequel to the 1940 Mark of Zorro movie, or possibly the Disney TV show (since Zorro isn't publicly unmasked in this movie). We'll just chalk it up to a new setting entirely.

The set pieces in this movie are wonderful. The opening scene where Zorro I pulls off his final rescue is swashbuckling in all its glory. The finale is just as exciting, but for me the most exciting scene and the one I watch over and over is Alejandro's first true appearance as Zorro, when he infiltrates Montero's hacienda and steals the map to the mines. That whole scene is just brilliant in every possible way. The sword fighting is beautiful, the choreography is exquisite, and the denouement where Zorro has to fight Elena in the stable is the cheeky cherry on top of the beautiful sundae. The stunts and practical effects are top-notch as well, and there isn't any CGI to distract from the story.

You can tell that the entire cast was having an absolute blast in this movie, even the bad guys. There is some scenery chewing here and there, but that's to be expected in a movie like this one. Banderas is Zorro like no one ever has been before him. For one, he's actually Spanish; none of the previous Zorros on film were Latinos of any sort (except the one who played the character in a Spanish movie from 1953). Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Power, Guy Williams, Duncan Regehr...even George Hamilton played the character in a comedic movie. For that matter, Anthony Hopkins plays Zorro in this movie, and he's definitely not a Spaniard. Nor does he even bother with a real Spanish accent; neither does Stuart Wilson as Montero. They are both English to their core. And Catherine Zeta-Jones is Welsh, but she was absolutely stunning as Elena. It wasn't her first movie, but it was her breakout role.

This movie is one of those movies that can be rewatched over and over without losing its shine. I've stopped counting how many times I've seen it. I highly recommend it to everyone; it's family-friendly, and even the stable fight never descends to gratuitous sexualization. It's a movie that you can sit back, relax, and just enjoy the ride.

Getting Back Into the Swing...

It's been a while since I published a new book. It's been a while since I wrote a new book, too. And it's time to correct that. I'm feeling the writing itch again, and I want to get a few books written this year. I can think of four off the top of my head that I need to get done by the end of the year, maybe five. But jumping right in isn't feasible when you're busy in a bakery, so let's get something small in to get the juices flowing again, shall we?

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GRAND CENTRAL STATION

“Grand Central Station!” came the announcement over the loudspeaker system. “This train route ends at this station. Please disembark quietly, and enjoy your stay.”

I grabbed my laptop case as I waited for the rest of the crowd to slowly make their way to the platform. The porter was polite, but bored; there are only so many times you can say ‘thank you’ and ‘have a nice day’ before it becomes monotonous.

When I finally got to the platform, I saw a pile of suitcases being unloaded from the back of the car. I waited in line with the rest of the travelers until I finally saw my suitcase join the pile. I showed my ID to the porter, who nodded and let me relieve him of the burden of watching over my property.

I remember being excited as I left the platform to join the throng of people in the streets. I saw a fleet of cabs taking on passengers, and I thought that hurrying to the street might give me a better chance to catch my own. I looked at my watch as I dragged my suitcase to the end of the line; I had half an hour to make it to my appointment.

I was in luck! There was a cab still available at the intersection, and no one else around to grab it. I quickened my pace; there were other people coming up behind me, and I wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.

Then I heard a tremendous roar that sounded like a hundred airplanes at once. Whirling around, my blood congealed as I saw a huge dragon land in the middle of the cross street. Cars blared their horns and tried to turn around to get away from the monster, but it ignored them all, focusing instead on an armored figure astride a horse on the other side of the intersection.

“Hey, there’s another one,” said a man behind me, a businessman in a three-piece suit.

“Wonder if he’ll do any better than the last guy,” replied the guy next to him. He wore workman’s clothes, a belt of tools around his waist.

The dragon roared again, and the knight lowered his lance and charged as pedestrians and cyclists hurried out of the way. The knight crossed the intersection, aiming the lance right at the dragon’s heart.

Before he could drive the shiny point into the dragon’s breast, it took a deep breath and spewed out a volcano’s worth of fire, smoke and ash, engulfing the knight. When the smoke cleared, the horse and rider were black and charred like a Chicago-style steak. A moment later, the dragon spread its wings and took off, flying between the city buildings.

“Guess not,” said the first man.

“You’d t’ink they’d know better by now,” remarked his companion. “It’s always the same thing with them guys; charge right in, get roasted. You catch the game last night?”

I turned to them. “What’s wrong with you people?” I demanded. “You act like this happens all the time! That was a freaking dragon! Doesn’t that freak you the hell out?!”

The two men looked at each other, amused. “Tourist,” observed the businessman as he got in the cab I had been aiming for.

The workman just turned back to me, grinning. “Welcome to New York City, pal.”

Worst Bad Day Ever...

Just a quick little something I wrote a while ago.

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As he let go of the hissing snake he had thought was a vine, Todd reflected that after surviving the mudslide, escaping the quicksand, frantically fleeing through the jungle from a native tribe that belonged in a Tarzan movie, narrowly avoiding the slavering jaws of the hungry tiger, and riding the rockslide that had somehow managed to not kill him while dropping him into a watery moat surrounding an ancient ruined city, he not only had ruined his expensive clothes and shoes while climbing out of the muddy water, but he had also lost his passport and camera to the many dangers that had plagued him since arriving in the jungle, and now that he found himself falling out of the tree and over a waterfall that plunged a few hundred feet into a canyon below, he quickly pulled out his cell phone, speed-dialed his mother, and just as he was saying, “Mom, you’re not going to believe the day I’ve had,” he lost the signal as the phone’s battery died, and as the reeking sweat under his armpits reminded him that he had used a very poor anti-perspirant, his final thought before hitting the water was that he was going to give Adventure Tours the worst review in TripAdvisor’s history when he got home.

And That's Why We Call Her Spider-Cat...

Actually, that's Sylvester. Spider-Cat is the one identifying as an owl.

Cracking the Whip

Yes, it's the weekend, which means more work for us. The Saturday market is the culmination of a week's efforts to bake a bunch of bread and baked goods in order to convince people that it's the most delicious stuff they've ever eaten, and they should buy as much as possible. Running a family business like this takes a lot of work, but I have to say, the rewards are pretty sweet.

First of all, we're working from home. No getting up to drive to a job. I get up in the morning, brush my teeth, get dressed, and head to the kitchen to make dough or bake loaves. Simple, easy. I can take breaks at any time and spend time with my boys or the dog, or just chill out and relax for a little while. Best of all, I get to spend time with my wife. We don't spend all of our time together, but we work as a team to make this a success. It's a full partnership, and it's the best thing we've done since our kids were born.

In this day and age, it's tough to find gainful employment, particularly for someone who has just started getting senior's discounts. Jobs are not quite scarce, but jobs that pay enough to support a family on a single income are as rare as hen's teeth. So, the only workable solution is to go into business for yourself. Is it easy? Hell, no. In the run-up to Christmas we were preparing about 30 Christmas boxes that required bread and baked goods, and I pulled three straight days of 16-hour shifts. In half a week I got overtime. I fell asleep on the stairs with my head leaning on the wall at one point. Dannielle and Ashton got a good laugh out of that.

But even though it's a lot of work, the rewards are more than worth it. We don't have to pay rent since we work from home, we get to claim nearly everything as deductions, and we are selling pretty much everything we bake. And we get free bread and treats. Sure, it's usually the stuff that doesn't pass quality control, but it still tastes great even if it doesn't look quite as beautiful as we would like.

So, all in all it's something I would recommend to anyone who is struggling to find their place in the rat race: find your niche and monetize it, turning it into a business. You'll be surprised at how much it can change your life. It's not easy, but it's worth it.

Reason #215 Why I Love It Here

I was watching a video on the top 10 National Parks in Canada, and I was pleasantly surprised to find one that I've been to. Most of the parks are out west, with the Rocky Mountains being a prominent feature in many of them. But #9 on the list was none other than PEI National Park.

I remember going to this park a couple of years ago with friends of ours; we made a day of it and toured a few spots on the eastern side of the island. This was the capstone of the day. When we got there, we were given a few options for walking through the park; there was a shorter walk, and a longer one that was several kilometers long. Dannielle wasn't thrilled about it at first, but it turns out that the walk was worth it.

The main part of the walk was the long wooden boardwalk/bridge that wound through the woods before continuing on through a marshy area, ending in a flight of steps that led over the dunes to the beach. It was a hike, but totally worth it in the end.

It was unexpected, but beautiful. Mind you, it doesn't quite look the same now as it did then; Fiona hit the dunes hard, flattening them out. I haven't seen it lately, but I'm sure there's plenty of new landscape to see. If we get the chance to go back this year, I think it would be a great idea.

Anyway, I just wanted to share that; it's yet another reason why I love it here. One of the most beautiful parks in this huge country, and it's just an hour and a half away from my house. Awesome.