A Far Out Fantastic Site

It's struck my curiosity for the last couple of Christmases that if Tim Burton ever did a remake of the 1960s B-rated movie, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians , what would it look like? Probably something like the sketch below (please click it to see full detail) which is particularly taken from the toy battle scene between the evil Martians and the Earth and Martian children . . . Please click to see larger image. Photo Credit: Steven Rose, Jr. Happy Hallow-days, everybody! --Steven Rose, Jr.

Are writers (and other artists for the matter) made or born? In my opinion, real writers are born. Writer Lauren Sapala believes similarly to this and talks about it in her article, “ What You Were Born To Do ”. She talks about how crucial it is for the writer to use his/her gift since not to do so can lead to serious consequences, most of them mental health in nature. Not that this necessarily means that insanity would be the result, but the consequences could be unhealthy depression rising from resentment. Why would born artists (which includes writers, painters, musicians, and even game creators) not create? Because society, especially here in the U.S., makes it appear that creativity is not a practical occupation. Bull shit. Such an illusion is especially so with fiction writing. It's just a story of untrue events, unless it makes Best Seller money, time shouldn't be given to writing that novel, say the mainstream pragmatists. They also say "Get a real job!" So ...

Saturday marked the 50 th Anniversary of Doctor Who . It all started on 23 November 1963 and, interestingly enough, on a Saturday ! William Hartnell played the Doctor. His was a much older Doctor (in appearance at least) than today’s 30-to-40-something looking Doctors. In fact, Hartnell’s Doctor Who had a granddaughter. And so it was this teenage grandchild, Susan (played by Carole Ann Ford), who was the first Who girl or Doctor’s female travel companion.   As part of the worldwide Doctor Who celebration, Sacramento’s Stirling Bridges, a British pub, screened the BBC’s airing of the 50 th anniversary episode on several wide screen televisions throughout the pub. Because I live quite a ways from the pub (which is in east Sacramento, I’m in the west area and so closer to UC Davis) and take public transportation, I was not able to get there in time for the special episode. But yours truly did get there just as they were doing the costume judging and so he saw some fans’ fab...

Because nobody played the Fool's Illusion Trick-or-Treat Giveaway, there is no winner. But it doesn't mean you're all losers! I still want to give away two copies of my book, and so I'm going to decide how to select a lucky winner. Check back here throughout the week to find out how I will be determining that. Until next time . . .

Warning:  This post may contain content or links to content considered to be obscene/objectionable by some viewers.   Credit: PDClipart.org Just a friendly reminder: you have until midnight tonight, the witching hour, Pacific Standard Time, to play The Fool’sIllusion Trick-Or-Treat Giveaway . You have a chance at winning my book of short fiction and therefore not having to pay to own a copy. In fact, if you win you get two copies—one the Kindle version, the other print. Now, if you really want free stuff without having to depend totally on chance, here is my Halloween treat to you: I have included in this post an excerpt from The Fool’s Illusion . So you can get a sweet taste of what the book is like with out having to pay a single penny. Better yet, the excerpt consists of an entire story. It’s not just a scene that suddenly drops off at the end leaving you hanging on the noose of knowledge and curiosity. The story is definitely fitting for the season,...