Lois Beamish is…

Lois Beamish is a daughter, mother, wife, sister, grandmother and great grandmother.

Lois Beamish, to me, was Grandma, Gran and Sister.

Lois Beamish called me Jason, Jay, buddy, brother, occasionally I was Jason Randall, and “rarely” she called my by my full, proper, name JASON RANDALL BEAMISH GET YOUR BUTT OVER HERE NOW.

Lois Beamish is love.

Lois Beamish is one of God’s creatures, she knows God’s love and shares God’s love.

Lois Beamish is a bad mamma jamma, if you were caught she will beat your ass.

Lois Beamish is telepathic, truth, if you did NOT get caught she will beat your ass.

Lois Beamish does not like curse words, unless they come from her own mouth.

Lois Beamish is beautiful.

Lois Beamish is deceitful, see Party Potatoes.

Lois Beamish is love.

Lois Beamish is the judge, the jury and the executioner.

Lois Beamish’s paddle is legendary, like Bon Jovi it has seen a million asses and has spanked them all.

Lois Beamish is fair.

Lois Beamish loves live, sailing, nature, her children and grand-children.

Lois Beamish is a singer, pianist and organist.

Lois Beamish allows her family to listen to whatever they want, even though it is all crap.

Lois Beamish is, right this second, enjoying a dinner with her parents, my Grandfather Les and my Aunt Sherry, they have all taken no thank you helpings, or will hear about it later (she is also feeding Honey under the table).

Lois Beamish is guarding the ice cream, everyone knows that they must trade in a clean plate if they have any hope for desert.

Lois Beamish loves dogs, and her dogs are perfect.

Lois Beamish does not leave anyone behind because she is always with us and watching, do not pretend she is not, remember, telepath.

Lois Beamish is many things that I don’t even know about.

Lois Beamish IS and will always be my Grandmother, and I AM and will always be better for it.

I love Lois Beamish

Photo stolen from Jodi Beamish

Today.

I’ve quite a few irons in the fire right now, this may will be a bit repetitive from the last post but it is now one more. I am now also cooking a sci-fi comic and that has me a bit excited. My problem is the same as everyone else’s, time. I have to finish my revisions for the Weaponizer story as well as those for my first story for the Whitechapel compilation as well as finish the first draft for the second tale (story is there it just needs a middle and end). All that and a busy weekend full of homework.

And now, suddenly, hope for a comic, the reason I want to write in the first place. Something must give, I just hope it is nothing (does it work like that?).

What happens when…

I have a lot of work to do between school homework and freelance writing, emphasis on free, and Club 100 continues to beat down my door to stop me from not writing especially when I don’t have the time. Yesterday I spewed 1100 words to finish a first draft, and I received positive feedback from the editor. But what do I write when I don’t have time for edits and additions and when I want to keep my brain fresh? Whatever I want is what, just spit words, gobbletigook, shlebametto, non-words. Bretrecoom fizzeltigig rama meritor.  (I just insultedca mother.)  A brown sheet covers what can only be described as a waste of time, keeping nothing warm and putting this waste to bed.   Until next time when the words would be plentiful and of proper intentions.

Kinda Blessed 1

Did you know, the first story I actually submitted for publication was chosen and published.  That’s pretty awesome (pats back). Here’s the problem, I’ve got the taste of it. A taste of the joy of holding a bound edition which stores my hard work, I know that people , albeit very few, have bought and paid for my own personal arrangement of words. It is a feather in my cap that will never go away.

The problem is that I don’t want to stop now. The problem is that I do not have much spare time, between work, school and life. I am working on two projects now.

The first I’ve mentioned, it is the Whitechapel Quarterly: Getting There collection and I need to get two stories in to the editor by the 20th. One of which is through its first draft awaiting the time of my beautiful proofreader to fix my spelling and grammar. The second story is still a tale that needs wrangled by my synaptic grey -matter cowboys.

The new project is for my mate Bram, and his magazine WEAPONIZER. That story is taking shape nicely and is due by the 28th.  If it is chosen it will mark my first paying gig.

Now, about my grades. Hmmm.

X-CLUB

It’s time to give Mr. Spurrier his due.  First, his latest novel is now available in paperback.  He says some pretty silly words in an act of shameless self promotion here.  But that is not why I am here.  I am here because I love his most recent comic, X-CLUB published by MARVEL COMICS.  I love this comic, I’ve loved it from page one and it is a highlight to my week when the issues come out.  Here’s the problem folks, it is a 5 issue mini series.  I accept that it may always be a mini, but that does not stop me from wanting more.  So, I am going to post a couple images, all the copy-write MARVEL as examples of the joy you too could achieve from BUYING these comics (stealing helps nobody, don’t do it!), and who knows, if the book flies off the shelves maybe I we can get more.  I promise you will not be disappointed.

X-CLUB is a book about the X-MEN science team made up of Danger, Madison Jeffries, Kavita Rao and Dr. Nemesis.  After the events of blah, blah, blah (didn’t read the back story) the X-CLUB builds a space-elevator when Danger interfaces with the tech she becomes mysteriously infected.  The star, in my opinion, is Dr. Nemesis and his “echinodermic specimen” that, “chemically bonded to [his] person,” which reveals his inner secrets.

If you like science, or comics, or thoughtfully composed literature, then please, for your own sake, buy X-CLUB, read it like it was write specifically for your entertainment.  It is worth every one of the 299 pennies MARVEL is asking.

I am a Nerd.

Chances are, if you are reading this, you have read my previous posts so openly admitting that I am a nerd is not much of a stretch of any imagination. I am a nerd for the following (non-inclusive) reasons;

1. Superhero comic books, primarily Iron Man and The Flash, or the writings Warren Ellis, Matt Fraction, Geoff Johns or Ed Brubaker, or the artwork of Tony Harris, David Lapham or Scott Kolins.
2. Sci-fi with STAR in the title, see WARS, TREK, or BATTLE_ GALACTICA.
3. Computers, while fond of games I prefer operating systems. Honestly Windows 7 is a pretty good OS, but I’ve been getting well acquainted with Linux (multiple distros (though mostly MINT)). I also nerd-out to computer guts, tearing in and fiddling with the bits and pieces.

This brings me to my point, I am eagerly awaiting my email from the fine folks at Raspberry Pi opening the flood gates to order what promises to be, a great advancement in affordable computers. At $25 a slice all you will need is an SD card, a monitor, mouse, keyboard and a power supply and you will have a fully functional PC. The priciest being the monitor since there are mice/keyboard graveyards all over the place, and, if you are interested at all in the RasPi you probably already have extra SD card laying around somewhere.

I will be chatting more about this after I have access to the device, but I am lusting over this chipset.

Beginnings

On January 1st this year my phone buzzed in my pocket, I flicked through my messages and saw a bright beginning to the new year. It was from my pal Steve Ormosi, a contributor and editor of the short story compilation OUT OF PLACE, OUT OF TIME, the message said that the book was available to order from Lulu.com. Then, on the 8^th, the kindle edition was released.

Last May Steve put a call out on Whitechapel for contributions to the book the only rule was that the story fit the title theme and be no more then 1000 words. My tale is titled LITTLE RED BOX and is a love story with space-garbage collectors, you know, like all good love stories.

I call this beginnings because it has been decided that the fine brains of Whitechapel will be launching a Quarterly tome of short stories whose title and theme will be chosen by whoever steps in as the editor. I expect the first new book, titled GETTING THERE, short stories about people in transition, will available in late April or May and will be edited by my chum Alan Tyson. I will give you more information when it is mine to give.

On Warren Ellis

Here we are again, another day, another blank bit in my head were the silly story aught to be. Today, I talk about Warren Ellis (English writer, not Australian musician). My first foray was JLA Classified: New Maps of Hell after which I though, who is this guy and what is the big deal, this was in 2005, well after he was know as the internet jesus and had a gazillion fans.

That’s when TRANSMETROPOLITAN happened for me. Might as well give this Ellis guy another chance, and it starts. As the entire series was complete and collected at the time I managed to plow through the trades devouring ever images and sentence, half the time either offended or literally falling out of my chair erupting with laughter (bowel disruptor). Before this time it was all tights or Moore with a small smattering of indie books; since, it is Ellis first (or last, I stack my weekly books with most desirable to read last). After TRANSMET my few paperbacks quickly filled an entire shelf, then they moved the Moore shelf down taking the pole position.

So, what is it about Mr. Ellis that makes me stack him last? In my opinion, he is my favorite storyteller (sorry Matt). Be it any one of his hundreds of comics or his novel (soon to be plural) I just cannot get enough. Reading and reading again, I always manage to find a little more or read it a little different each time through. To top it off, there are people who no longer speak to me because I have had them read Crooked Little Vein, a true friend equalizer.

I have spent the last day trying to explain why. What is it about Ellis’ writing that enthralls me so? There is no one thing, the plots, they take me places I have never been, when they don’t the dialog, the pacing do it, his, straight up, bizarre, ideas feed me. Longer than that I’ve been trying to rank what I’ve read, what is the best? The book that, most frequently, comes to mind is Switchblade Honey, a dirty episode of Star Trek you’ve always wanted to see, or Planetary, in which a mad man journeys to feast on Godzilla’s carcass, or Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E., if only to see Fin Fang Foom in underpants.

On top of all of this, Ellis is a kind man, he answers my stupid questions, he as administered many forums which congregate truly great people, he gives me words for free on his blog and twitter account. He has turned my on to ever great comic I read these days, including Casanova and Prophet, it was his backup feature in Osborn that has made me a life long Kelly Sue fan. I cannot say thank you enough Mr. Ellis. Keep writing anything and I will read it.

Coming soon from Warren Ellis is GUN MACHINE, his second novel, due out later this year, there is a good chance I will need to take a few days off work to read that. I’m sure there will be a few more comics that trickle out over time even though he is writing less. His most recent release was a six issue, fantastic, run on Secret Avengers and Avatar released, today, a color edition of his classic tale Atmospherics.

Brian Azzarello’s Sandman

Day two of having something fictionally credible to write for the comic, it is bubbling and brewing but the whistle has yet to sound.

But I still want to talk about comics, Wonder Woman specifically. Historically it has been hit or miss with the Princess of Themyscira and right now it is closer to the good side and issue 5 tilted me further towards the good side and my reason may upset many, many, people.

Brian Azzarello’s Wonder Woman reminds me of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.

There’s no going back now. Why? Family Dynamic. And this is mostly coming from issue 5, the relationships that Azzarello is fostering between the gods reminds me of The Endless.  Not a direct, character to character copy, but it is just digging into me, I want to follow it.  This is the only “New 52” book that is giving me a long term attachment to story possibility.  It is early and it may change, I was not even certain that I wanted to pick up this issue. I did. I am glad. I am also looking forward to re-reading the series when Azzarello dot’s his final ‘I’ to see if my feeling change or if it should have the same lasting effect, it could be exciting.  Good luck Mr. Azzarello.