The Reddy Cab Company – Preview

 

Heavy work schedule again this week, so I thought I’d share a bit from my WIP (Work In Progress, not to be confused with WAP, which is short for SPTBM, Smut Pretending To Be Music). Sorry, couldn’t resist, even though I’ve been warned about being too sarcastic lately!

Anyway, here’s a short excerpt from the newest novel and also a look at the early draft of the cover. Feel free to comment on either (or both).

Link and his friends had gone bowling often since picking up the game in high school. His parents had bowled in leagues for years and had a shelf full of trophies proudly displayed in the den. Link wondered what had happened to the pink and blue, nine pound ball that his mother had always used. He supposed it was still in the bedroom closet in the old plaid bowling bag she had carried for years.

Although his parents had given up the game long ago, Link and his friends continued to make the trip across the lake to the Northlake Lanes as often as they could. Each of the three had developed his own unique style/approach to the sport. Because of his size, Link was obviously the power bowler of the group. He employed a huge backswing and threw the ball with such force that contact anywhere near the pocket would produce a strike with pins flying violently in all directions. The sound produced was enough to draw the attention of anyone near their particular lane, and of course, he loved the attention it brought.

The most competitive of the group, David threw a wicked little hook that either struck the pocket squarely or glided completely across the lane hitting little or nothing as it headed for the left hand gutter. Sometimes, he would drop the ball a bit too far to the outside resulting in the ball falling immediately into the right hand gutter. This was routinely followed by cursing (from David) and laughter from Kenny. On a good day, he could rival Link, and he had actually outscored him on a small handful of occasions, though not very often.

Kenny was the most colorful of the three. He tended to hold onto the ball too long usually throwing the ball halfway down the lane in the air. As the ball bounced toward the pins, he would burst with laughter as his friends hid their faces and pretended not to know him. Maybe once or twice a year, he would actually break a hundred on the scorecard, but regardless of his final tally, he never failed to have a wonderful time.

Extra credit and a free copy of the novel when it is finished to the first person who can correctly identify the three actual bowlers who inspired the trio described above! And if you grew up in Waco, you can probably name the particular bowling alley we frequented.

Look for The Reddy Cab Company to be out sometime in early 2022!

WandaVision vs. Zack Snyder’s Justice League

 

I confess to being a big Superhero fan, and I try to catch most, if not all of the movies, and many of the TV shows as well. As a youngster, I read mostly the DC comics, but I knew who the Marvel heroes were and occasionally read those too. I have always loved seeing my heroes portrayed on screen (even the cartoons!) From the old Batman TV series in the sixties to the current crop of blockbusters, I have remained a fan, so I couldn’t resist checking out these shows. Even if you’re not a fan of the genre, you’ve probably been bombarded by ads for the two most recent releases. Having seen both, here are my reviews.

I’ve seen all the Avengers movies, and although Vision and the Scarlet Witch are not particularly favorites, I was intrigued by the trailers of WandaVision. (Or at least until I had seen the exact same trailer on FB about 157 times!) After 2 episodes, I was convinced that this was the dumbest thing I had ever seen on television (which is saying a lot considering some of the current shows on network TV). I almost quit, but there were a few commentators on social media who insisted that the show would get better, so I decided to stick with it for at least a few more episodes. I’m glad I did.

By the end of the next two, I was hooked. It did get better. A lot better. Without spoiling too much, it is a very different kind of Superhero show. Primarily, it’s about grief and losing someone you love. It seems even superheroes have to deal with that sort of thing. (Spiderman: Far From Home also shares this theme to a degree.) Beginning with a somewhat silly sit-com premise, the show evolves into a complex multi-layered narrative that I found fascinating. And in true superhero form, it builds toward a big showdown where our hero must defeat the villain, in this case one you may not have seen coming.

Overall, the series was very well done, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! Marvel fans should definitely check this one out. (As for The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, I will let you know.)

As a DC guy, I was somewhat disappointed in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice and the theatrical release of Justice League. I enjoyed both, but like most fans, felt they could have been better. The extended version of Batman v Superman was a vast improvement over the original version and did manage to fill in some of the obvious plot holes, and if you’ve read my previous blogs, you may remember I had high praise for Ben Affleck’s Batman. With that in mind, I was very much looking forward to the release of the Snyder cut of Justice League. I was hoping for a more cohesive narrative and a more serious tone. I was not disappointed!

Again, without spoilers, the Snyder Cut is well worth the four hours viewing time. Every character gets a more complete backstory, especially Cyborg, and we get the true villain who was missing from the original. Superman gets his story arc restored (and gets to wear the cool black suit), and we get another, much longer look at the Knightmare scenario to come. (Sadly, we may never get the third Justice League movie which would have continued this storyline.)

Overall, the movie is very different than the theatrical version. The tone is darker, the situation more grim, and the battle more epic. This version is also more emotional. Barry and his father, Barry and Iris, Victor and his father, Clark and his mother, Clark and Lois, etc. We get to see a more personal side of each hero, and it make us love them even more. DC fans especially should not miss this one!

Weekly Thoughts (or Weak Thoughts)

 

Just a few random thoughts bouncing around in my head this week.

We have a crisis on the border! What a shocker! Don’t know if there is anyone dumb enough (even among the Liberals) to not recognize this as a direct result of the Biden administration. Of course, the caravans are back. Once again, we have signaled that the borders are open. And we have all but promised full amnesty and citizenship. Sad, but true.

***

Came across this quote recently from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (one of the most banned books of all time incidentally).

“Hain’t we got all the fools in town on our side? And hain’t that a big enough majority in any town?”

For some reason, it made me think of the Democratic Party. Maybe they should adopt it as their new motto.

***

$1.9 Trillion. I can’t even comprehend a number that large. I can comprehend that $1400 is a tiny, tiny fraction of that amount. We’re back to the usual politics again where a “COVID” Relief Bill contains just a small amount of money to help with the pandemic and tons of money for tons of things with no connection whatsoever to the stated purpose of the bill. But go ahead and spend an extra trillion or so on those pork projects you’ve been dreaming about. Those Obama Democrats still know to “never let a crisis go to waste.”

***

And this week’s Colin Kaepernick Oppression Award goes to Meghan Markle for reminding us that even Princesses need our sympathy. And good job, Harry, for showing us how easy it is to throw your entire (Royal) family under the bus.

It’s only fair, I suppose. Why limit the Media-induced race war to just our country? Let’s share with Great Britain and the rest of Europe. I wonder if all those white people over there know what terrible racists they are? Maybe we can help them learn to be less white as well. Send them some Cokes or something.

***

Admittedly, I am a diehard Dallas Cowboy Hater, but seriously, does anyone really believe Dak Prescott is worth $40 million a year? He’s a fine quarterback, but no one could honestly build a case that he deserves to be the second highest paid at the position.

And speaking of QBs, as a Houston Texans fan (or at least I was until they decided to tear down the entire franchise with stupid decisions), I love Deshaun Watson. BUT isn’t it time for players to just shut up and play and stop trying to tell the owners and GMs how to do their jobs? And demanding to be traded when they don’t get their way?

I guess it could be worse. If Bill O’Brien were still the Coach/GM, I suppose we would be trading Watson for a couple of second rounders and some magic beans.

***

So, Barack Obama spent 8 years blaming the economy on George W. Bush, and another 4 years trying to get credit for the Trump economy (by claiming his policies had finally kicked in). Now, Joe Biden is working as hard as he can to take credit for the COVID vaccine. And people wonder why nobody trusts politicians.

***

Amazed to see top Democrats actually calling on Andrew Cuomo to resign! Truly rare to see them hold each other accountable. Meanwhile, Dr. Seuss is cancelled, but WAP is appropriate for prime time TV. Wow!

***

What do I have to do to get a decent internet signal in Livingston, Texas, USA?