Saturday, February 27, 2016

Chapter 6: The Phoenix

And the time comes for chapter six of 
Check it out here on wattpad.

Or just go buy the bloody thing! 



OK OK, what do we have going on this week... hmmm. Oh yeah, a bunch of crazy ass Chinese, evolution, old testament, Jesus, angels and demons background stuff! What was that? What did I write, what did you read?!

I could go on and on about this chapter, more especially the second part of the chapter, but I will try to keep this short.

First... Who do you think would win in a fight, Darth Vader or Lord Voldemort? I put this in the book for a couple reasons. The first being that this is a real argument that my wife and I have gotten into. And it got ugly real fast. We can laugh about it now, and make fun of ourselves but the fact is, we both took this a little to seriously, to the point that I still hold onto it. Which brings me to point number 2, VOLDEMORT! VOLDEMORT would win! But I digress.


Now for some people, Rebecca and Ty's relationship seems to be moving a little to fast. They are saying things that some of you out there might be cringing at, or yelling at the pages for. And that's fine. I want people to react to the sort of thing that my characters say. People don't always know what to say in the most timely manner, in fact I would say most of the time people are bad at talking and having conversation. And so are my characters.

Making a small segway to the second part of the chapter... As you see in the back ground story told by the Pinyin women, these two are destined to be together. They are called to love each other. But that doesn't mean I'm going to make them all lovey dovey right away. They don't understand their feelings, and its a bit new and weird for the both of them.  They are like a kid going down a snowy hill on a sled for the first time. They think they know what to do, from seeing everyone else do it. But at the end of the day, this is their first time, and they are awkward and scared.

Don't worry, they will get the hand of it soon enough, and then they will slide down the cold frosted hill of love.


There are three big themes that run through the Background story of the Phoenix and the Gold Dragon.
The idea that the Big Bang was the initial beginning to the universe



The image of two main forces that have been personified into the Dragon Long, and the Phoenix Haunfang (more on the name soon). and that these characters were responsible for the control and direction of the intrinsic expedition of life.























 The final theme is that God (Abba, Yahweh, Jehovah, I Am) is the instigator of all creation, and it's under his command and by his mercy that all things were made.  (Can you tell that this one is a little heavy handed?)






















I am in no way trying to rewrite the history or origins of this world we live in. And I do not necessarily believe that a dragon and phoenix are responsible for the creation of the universe, or were they the original Adam and Eve. I'm telling a fictional story that has a fictional creation. So just relax and see the beauty in the story that I have created.

I'm a very spiritual person (though I hate saying it like that, it makes my tongue feel like a cliche) and I try to be reasonable and logical.  I have through out my life seen this divide between science and religion and I use to think I understood it, but now I don't. As Christians, we tell others not to pick and choose the parts of the Bible that we like or do not like, and tell them that it is God breathed and That our Lord is greater than all.

Then we, as Christians, turn around and pick and choose which parts of science we accept, and which parts we don't. We then go further to say that God did and did-not do certain things (as if we were there when the foundations of the earth were laid. Job 38).

Then you evolutionists, you who say proudly that this is the way things are, like your posturing and declaring is what makes something true. An honest person must simply laugh in the face of knowledge that has no love. What principle does the world have if not by design? The place of cold unfortunate statistics that mislead us into feeling like we can achieve something more in life.

Despite your greatest efforts, science continues (as it was intended to do from its very beginning) to prove that God is more and more viable. It's the dark and cold universe that looks good only when compared to a God who convicts you of your misdoings and pride. You stand behind "logic and reason" the way a man stands behind a pebble to hid from a tidal wave.




I'm sorry, I really am. But you don't write to hold back, you don't give yourself a platform to do nothing. I'm truly sorry if I have offended anyone, or turned any person away from reading my book or blog. The fact is though, I'm not going to take it back, this is what I will proclaim as an author, and I won't be ashamed of it. Just only disappointed if it means I lose people.

The imagery is laid out to be something that just about everyone can follow, and with a little patience and open mindedness can see as a useful tool for seeing the truth. These things, if they had played out in this way, could be an understanding origin of a universe.  There is suppose to be an air of mystery and ambiguity to the whole ordeal. I want readers to think, and challenge and come out of this with their own feelings of the universe around them.

This is a big turning point in the book, because now Rebecca is faced with a decision. She has to decide whether or not she is going to believe this story, and if she does, what that means for her. As well, you as the reader should be asking the same questions, do you believe it, do you believe everything you were taught? Is there something in the world that you have yet to explore, and if you learn it will, you accept it?

By the way, here is track 6 for the soundtrack:

The Ascent - The Classic Crime.

Here are people I appreciate this week.

Nico Matagora: I'm happy that your going to do what you need to for your family, but I will miss you. I hoep we can still write our awesome TV show, and I hope we never forget McNeal.

Brandon Suydam: One of my best friends. I seriously cannot wait to get our Podcast going. And I am so excited for "The Apple". YOU made working at Fred Meyer's tolerable. and together I think we can make some amazing work.



T.W. Clawson











Saturday, February 20, 2016

Chapter 5: The Gold Dragon

Running from ghosts, going on a kind of date, and possible cat cannibalism in Chapter five of
As always I invite you to read the chapter before you read this blog, but lets switch it up a bit. 

FIRST maybe buy the book. Go to my website where you can purchase the E-book, or a paperback copy:
TWClawson.com

OR read this chapter for free on Wattpad:

http://w.tt/1oQIWgP


Let me start with a definition, in case some of you missed it. 

Mayaa no Ushiru:
Cat meat

I know it's a morbid joke but whatever, sometimes you gotta throw a funny cat meat joke into a book to spice things up. I'm a rebel, whatever, you can't tell me what to do! You're not my DAD! 

Sorry dad...

I also love the quick conversation that Rebecca has with her cat. (cause that's a normal thing to do right?)  She is beginning to come to terms with the world she is now inhabiting and realizes that there are sometimes things that she needs to be specific about.  It's an almost Gilmore Girls type of fast paced conversation. Just with out all the pop culture references that no one gets. #GilmoreGirls

By the way Peru is really awesome! My wife and I have been there for real, and their coffee is legitimately the best I have ever had.

 



This was in the small town of Canta, Peru. About four hours into the Andes mountains from Lima, Peru. Lima being the capital. We had a great time being there. We Worked with a church to help people get free glasses. My wife made lots of friends with little girls, braiding lots of hair. I dressed up as a clown and let the boys beat the crap out of me with their balloon swords, and I was even on the radio! 

The Magi, which are starting to become more prominent in the book, were created to work all over the world. When thinking about what Ty's back ground would be, I immediately thought about him being a world traveler, and one of my favorite places really is Peru, so naturally so is Ty's. The promise of taking Rebecca to Peru and trying the coffee was no lie. He fully intends on taking her to his favorite place. The Hotel on the Mountain in Canta.



Unfortunately Molly and her grandma are not biased on anyone in the real world. but there is a small joke in there. This is not a racist thing, and it's barely a stereotype. It has nothing to do with culture or anything. It's an observation that my wife and I are constantly making.

80% of Asian American girls are like, Molly or Maggie, weather they came to America after being adopted, or their parents came here and so Molly or Maggie is a first Generation American. It doesn't bother me, it's just funny. And that slight small observation was applied to the Molly of this book.  I also put a lot of thought into her name in a symbolic aspect. 

Her name is Molly Pinyin
Molly has Hebrew origins meaning Rebellious and Bitter. When we first meet Molly, I think that's exactly how she is, though she has great customer service. But she IS frustrated with her grandma, and wasting time working in the restaurant. Having to put up wither Her grandmothers superstitions.  
Pinyin is Chinese symbolism for Duck which represents blissful marriage. You will see soon what this means for the intrepid heroes of the story. But a slight teaser is that Molly and her grandmother are certainly bearers of good tidings. 

I like Molly because she is a mix of old and new. Hope, Faith and cynicism. 

Track for the week - Tongues - Joywave

Appreciation for this week  

#1 my wife. Who took care of my when I was super sick. Who puts up with me and all my flaws. I love you Moon.  

 @angelyntjf , @SandCrystal , @crazyme456  and @Lord_Xusecer all of you guys had to put up with me commenting on your stories like I know what I'm talking about. I'm sorry if I made you feel anything but good about your work. You are doing amazing things and I hope you will never let anything I say or do distress you in any way. 

If your from wattpad and you're following me, then I seriously cannot stress how excited I ma for you. I will officially announce a contest that I will be starting in a couple weeks. This is !))% a way for me to get followers, and reads. I won't bead around the bush on that. But with the amount of money I'm putting into it, I think it's worth the effort and the honesty.

T.W. Clawson




Saturday, February 13, 2016

Cahpter 4: The Ghost

Are you still with me through Chapter four of
  

If you haven't experienced this chapter yet, make sure you go to Wattpad and red it. 


Or just buy it... cause it's that good. 



This is the real life inspiration for the B&B in Rebecca Moon 



It might not look like much, but it's creepy as hell! Obviously I added some exaggerations to this house, because I'm a flipping writer, that's what I do! But this is a house I have seen a lot while drive out to see my mother and it always stuck out to me, how odd it was and at night how creepy it seemed to become. 

There was a period where the house was abandoned, owners couldn't handle it or something, the point being that they were gone. And it had stayed dark, empty and creepy for about a year or so. except for one night. I was driving past it, away from my mom's place, and I had stopped to call my (then girlfriend, now) wife. As I sat across the street from this godforsaken clown home, I saw movement in the upper window. 

Now, as reasonable and logical man of... sometimes science, sometimes God... I felt as though there had to be a reason for a person to be in that house. But, as a young 20 something year old human being looking at a creepy house at like 1am,  I just about Sh*t myself.  It's not that I thought there was a real ghost in the building, or that a demon was watching me from the window, it was just a sense of unknowing. 

That building had been alone, abandoned and dark for so long, and now there was someone in the house like a frigging creeper of the night, and it was unnatural. In my world, in my life, it was wrong for there to be someone in that house, my mind literally couldn't comprehend a person being in there. So of course my wife on the other end of the phone heard me stop mid sentence and breath heavily for a moment. Then when I had confirmed that there was indeed a face looking out the window... at me... I began to (in the manliest fashion possible) scream like a little girl. Screaming obscenities and using Science's name in vain I dropped the phone a drove off for my life. 

I ended up calling my wife back and letting her know that I indeed did not die in a horrific car accident, but had seen something that would haunt me in my dreams for several years. 

One of the coolest things I think about with this chapter is that Rebecca Moon and Ty share a quick moment before drifting off to sleep, and this just goes to show that despite being pushed past the point of utter exhaustion, they are still bonding. Rebecca is so tired, so weak and so confused inside, that she cant see the darkness around her. Ty as well, is so caught up in his spell, that he lets something else pull the wool over his eyes. 

But even through this, their uncertainty their pain and worry, they hold on to each other. Rebecca is such a right and wrong type of person, that she can't do anything but what she things is good. Catching Ty off guard, he can sense this in her and begins to feel the twinge of guilt for involving her. Rebecca's innate goodness is convicting Ty of things that he can't even come to terms with, but it also gives him hope.  

They are making each other better people and at this time they have no idea that it's happening. They are drawn to each other like gravity pulls the moon and the earth. It is a force of nature that Neither of them can control or understand completely. But that is where things begin to soften the ground for the seed to be planted. 

And that is where the Seed of love will flourish.

Song for the Chapter: Noticed - Mutemath
 A very good song, by one of the best bands ever. Seriously go check it out right now.

Appreciation.

@ohiostategirl07 for starting the Under the Sea book club on Wattpad.

@Dandirawr for accepting me into the UTSBC (book club) on wattpad.

To both of you, thank you for starting and working on the club and the thread. You guys are awesome. If there is someone else that is doing stuff and I am ignoring them, please forgive me, I didn't see. Just yell at me and I will up date this blog.

@Pandean for having a very critical point of view on my work so far. You may not understand it, but it makes me happy to see when people take some interest in my work. even if they were forced into it by the Book club.

@Bia317 for being awesome. Probably the best person I started following this week.

@Claire-Merle for voting on my book. Whether you were just humoring me, or you actually like it, I'm very happy that you took the time to swing by my profile.  You're a huge inspiration to my writing, and i can;t wait to finish your book.

T.W. Clawson













 

Saturday, February 6, 2016

Chapter 3:Gremlins

Hope you enjoyed Chapter 3 of
If you have yet to read it, then head over to wattpad and read if for free. 


Or Go to my website and pick it up as an e-book, or paperback.


OK! Chapter three! Hope you felt a little twinge of suspense, as well laughed a little. And what?! A talking cat?  
Yes, this is a real movie... on Netflix... That my wife and I watched all of... twice...

Anyway, Darcy can speak! hope you enjoyed that little twist, and his attitude toward the world. He fills the need in a every great adventure story to have a sort of side kick companion. Peter pan and Tinker Bell, Link And Navi, Turner and Hooch, The Doctor and K-9, Sonic and Tails, Yorick Brown and Ampersand... Ect. ect. ect.

Darcy is the essential tool that every great adventurer needs. A companion that has absolutely no reason to need the adventure. They are a tag along, an exception, nonessential in an absolutely unrelenting way. Darcy knows things, but he doesn't need to tell them to the others, he wants things, and he will play his cards the right way to get what he wants. But there's something more, he needs Rebecca. He knows how much she cares for him, and how much she is willing to put up with him, he doesn't know this about any one else.  It's a symbiotic relationship. He keeps her alive, and she keeps his tummy full.

Gremlins... What do ya think of those little nasty buggers. The idea of a Gremlin came from the same place as the Fairies, Pixies and Sprites. They of the same classification, the same kingdom, but a different race of being. While Sprites are in communion with nature, and Fairies protect nature, Gremlins are a force of nature. Having given themselves over to its wilds so much, that they are nothing more than a self aware Bee hive. Something that was not expressed throughout this book, but is slightly alluded to later, is that the gremlins were sent. It was no accident that they appeared when they did. But that's enough on that for now.




This was, hopefully, an exciting chapter. But one part I absolutely love is when Rebecca comes back from tying off the wench and the whole scene of Gremlins and Cat and Ty freezes.  Then with shaking ferocity the gremlin yells out for attack. I seriously laughed as I wrote it. In my mind, I'm watching a movie and writing it out as I go. So to see this in my head, playing over and over as I'm writing it was a little to much.

I was at work while writing a lot of this, and me busting into uncontrollable laughter was even more odd. But then I made my co-worker read the passage, and she looked at me with a face of contempt. Clearly not amused by the imagery I had given, I began to write it out more and more trying to place the image that I saw in my head, into yours (the readers). Maybe this might help.

Go back and read that passage (if you would like) and listen to this song while you do so...







I'm going to talk you through it real quick. This might seem weird, but it makes reading this passage a million times cooler. Like your a trailer voice over guy. It also helps if you get into character... *which I did

depending on how quickly you read it you can start in a different spot.  But at 1:24 into the video, you should began to read the last time Ty calls out to Rebecca.  The line goes


“Rebecca please! Come back quickly!” 


Read at a quick but steady pace. By the time 1:45 comes up on you, you should be about to say Rebecca's line, and you have about 15 seconds to read through the next chapter detailing the frozen moment. Then the crescendo comes back as the Gremlin  yells out for attack at 2:05

This might seem odd to some, that I might go into such detail on one tiny part of one tiny little book, but to me, this is what makes a book. Small detail, imagery that the author sees that he rest of the world doesn't.  I see and hear this in my head, and unfortunately books don't have sound tracks, so this is as close as I can get. There is no way for me to expect that everyone will do this, but for those that try it, and more specifically those that succeed in getting the moment that I had writing it, I hope you enjoy this.

I do, actually take back what I said about books not having Soundtracks. Because I do have a list of songs that I listened to, and That I think inspired my chapters a little more. I missed last week, so I will include it here:

2: Bloom - ODESZA
3: Tick Tick Boom - The Hives

Writing is so much more than Telling a story. It's about making a connection. Surpassing time and space and sharing an emotion that sits within me. A good writer reveals a plot, but more than that they make you feel what they feel. If you can read this passage of my book and laugh like I did, then I did my job as a writer. If you need the music to understand what's happening in my head, then at least I can do something to help you.

People that I want to shout out to this week are:

@marjalilli - Because you continue to challenge me. So welcome back. I'm also glad you liked the first couple chapters and I hope you continue to appreciate the book. And the scenes with the cat are necessary. I'm hoping that you have read this far and realize that Darcy is a very important character, which is why he was so important in the first chapter.

@DannyFlinn - You made my day when you read my book. Seriously, a terrible day, that was brightened by you and you words. Thank you.

@sammydrf - It's an odd connection to make, but valid none-the-less. The magi of Bethany thing is going to become pretty important later. I hope you continue to enjoy the book.

See you next week!
T.W. Clawson