Happy Halloween!

Happy H-Day, everybody!

Be safe, and have fun today. Party, go trick or treating, or marathon your favorite horror flick or show--just enjoy yourselves!

FUN FACT: My first ever Halloween costume was a clown costume when I was six months old. FUNNER FACT? I have a memory of that day!!

Cinemassacre!

A Paragraph a Day #25: Cinemassacre!

I thought I'd use the post before Halloween to promote one of my favorite Halloween video websites: Cinemassacre.com!

Hosted by the always entertaining James Rolfe (aka, The Angry Video Game Nerd), Cinemassacre is home to all movies horror related . . . through the lens of nostalgia. James fondly reflects on classic horror franchises (such as Universal Monsters--The Wolfman, Frankenstein, and Dracula), campy cult classics, the big name villains (Freddy, Jason, Chucky), and everything in between. Each year during October, James uploads a video almost everyday commenting on some old horror movie in an often humorous--if not educational--manner. The videos are often short with most being under five minutes in length, and are real treats.

Give into the Monster Madness this year in style!

I'd Eat a Glow in the Dark Carrot, Would You?

A Paragraph a Day #24: I'd Eat a Glow in the Dark Carrot, Would You?

AS today's title implies, I'd eat a glow in the dark carrot. Why? Well, let me explain the benefits.

CARROTS are good for the eyes, teeth, gum, skin, and cancer prevention. Glow in the dark stuff is just cool. How do I know? Whenever anybody ever is wearing white clothing and walks under a black light--what does she do?--she stops and say "Whoa! Cool!" Whenever a person has a glow in the dark cereal toy or Halloween mask, what does she do? She cups her hands over the item, closes one eye, and squints like that is going to turn the sun off. The fact remains, we are drawn to the luminosity of glow in the dark items.

LET'S combine the two. Just think--barring a radioactive reason why a carrot would be glowing, that neon veggie would make your skin glow like you were torn from the pages of Twilight.  Your eyes would glow, so say bye-bye to the need for flashlights, interior lighting, and that pesky electricity bill! You can see in the dark, that's why. And your innards? Well, if you ever forget what you had for breakfast and you wanted a reminder, your organs would be pulsing with glow-in-the-dark rich Vitamin-A and beta carotene to the point you would be able to lift your shirt and see the nice green glow inside.

I'D eat a glow in the dark carrot, would you?
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Thank You For Reading Today's Post!
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My Father was a Zombie Vampire

A Paragraph a Day #23: My Father was a Zombie Vampire

MY deceased father was a flesh hungry zombie who turned into a chibi-sized, blood thirsty vampire in my dream last night. Yup. I've been watching too many Halloween movies lately.

MY two brothers and I were hanging out in our living room (an apartment we shared as kids just about twenty years ago--good job subconscious, for being so freaking behind on the times!) when my deceased father came running past the windows like some sort of rabid zombie-werewolf. Of course, I felt the dream-like "i'm about to die" sensation. I think my younger brother did, too. My father circled the home, running past the open front door and to a bedroom door window I was trying to escape out of. When I backtracked to the front door, my dad walked inside, ready to tear flesh with his sharpened fingernails.

THAT'S when I picked him up (because now he was a doll sized person, don't you know) and put him on the counter top. My younger brother insisted he could stay with us as long as he promised not to hurt any of his family--darn you, Dark Shadows the movie for inching into my dreams!

BIZARRE, wasn't it? How inconsistent writing my dream had. Sad day for a writer, really. I still don't know how my dad transformed from zombie-wolf to vampire-doll. The world may never know.

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The 36 Hour Day

A Paragraph a Day #22: The 36 Hour Day

I always wondered what it would be like if our days were thirty six hours long instead of twenty four.

MY hope would be we would all get twelve more hours of rest, play, and general romping around. Freedom! More time to do laundry and clean the house, hang out with friends and catch up on TV shows, and overall . . .  more time! Celebrate. No?

UNDER further consideration, and the knowledge most governments actually like its citizens to work, we'd all probably have to work longer shifts. Bummer. Which means at least four more hours at that ole job, or four more hours at school if you are of the student variety.I can only hope that are lunch hours would at least double and we'd garner another fifteen minute break. A boy can dream.

SO, maybe a thirty six hour day isn't as good as I thought it would be. More time isn't necessarily better; I suppose we just have to learn to use what little time we have now to its fullest. Plus, I'd probably just sleep away the rest of my extra hours, anyway.

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If Body Odor Was Illegal

A Paragraph a Day #21: If Body Odor Was Illegal

IN MY fictional world, if body odor was illegal the justice system would not tolerate nostril punching odors.

PERSONS EMITTING a radius of overbearing funk (pure body odor, perfume, cologne, or any mixture of the three) would get citations in the form of sticks of deodorants. After three strikes, if you will, that person will have to take a mandatory shower every day for twenty years to life. That's right--with soap.

ANYONE WHO decides bathing is for suckers would be taxed to show them they're wrong and that second hand B.O. hurts millions of unsuspecting nostrils everyday. If you smell like perspiring milk, get ready to be taxed an extra ten percent or so at your favorite local restaurant. And if for some forsaken reason you decide to flee without paying, get ready to be hosed down by firemen and coppers equipped with Super Soakers.

BECAUSE, NO one wants to smell your signature stench in my fictional world.

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If Potato Chips Were Currency

A Paragraph a Day #20: If Potato Chips Were Currency

IN MY fictional world, if potato chips were currency we'd have three denominations (*cough* flavors *cough*): regular, ranch, and the all-mighty BBQ.

REGULAR flavor (think Lay's Original, plain flavored Ruffles, or original Pringles) would be used for most essential bartering interactions. Paying the rent on a house would cost a family sized bag of chips, while an apartment or condo would take three or four snack sized bags. Original flavor would be used to pay for bus rides, gas for cars, and supermarket food.

People would carry plastic, ziplock bags around (filled with potato chips) instead of wallets. And if they ever got hungry waiting for a ride or business meeting, they would always have something to snack on. But be warned--those ten or so chips you're eyeing may have paid for your phone or water bill. Of course, it'll take the world great self control to balance saving chips versus snacking on them.

RANCH would be used for mostly everything else. Clothing, furniture  tires, video games, and shoes would all cost ranch chips. And, of course, you could go to any bank or store to trade a few originals for ranch.

BBQ could be used to pay for anything but would be, well, more of a status symbol. Because BBQ is objectively the most delicious flavor, it would be in high demand since most people would eat them instead of paying off their debt. And if a person had a safe filled with BBQ chips, that person would be considered a chip-illionaire. Someone to look up to in my fictional world.

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Thank You For Reading Today's Post!
Join me at my Amazon Author Page and check out the books I have available for sale! Enjoy Your day!

A Lot More Than You Think

A Paragraph a Day #19: A Lot More Than You Think

100 Things Your Parents Told You As A Kid . . . title is self explanatory.  Trust me when I say there is A LOT parents tell their children. A lot more than you think.

THROUGH research and consultation, I came up with more than one hundred things to write about. Some were era specific ("Get off that Call of Duty/Facebook") I mostly chose to steer away from and others were general ("Behave"; "Pee before we go") in hopes to resonate with the widest audience possible. I shrunk the list until I thought I had the "best" and the widest range collection. But this project simply grew and grew until there were four sections which includes a child log, a child at heart test with social networking interactivity, and--of course--the title section which makes up the bulk of the book.

CREATING this was fun work and I hope you readers laugh, chuckle, and become interactive with this book until you have so much fun your fun-o-meter hits MAX setting! 

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100 Things Your Parents Told You As A Kid . . . 
GENRE: (ADULT/NON-FICTION/HUMOR)


SYNOPSIS:

FACE IT: Kids have a hard life, harder than we remember.

NO WORRIES. 100 Things Your parents Told You As A Kid . . . has you covered with a list of one hundred unearthly demands parents place on their children. Hopefully, one or two will bring you back to your childhood and have you smiling of a much simpler time.

SIMPLER? Who am I kidding? Being a child is hard!

BUY NOW:
BUY FOR KINDLE (.mobi)
BUY FOR iPHONE/iPAD/NOOK (ePub)
BUY PAPERBACK  (paper)

'Parents Demand their Children to do What?' Author Asks in Debut Book

100 Things your Parents Told You As A Kid . . .
Genre: (ADULT/NON-FICTION/HUMOR)

FACE IT: Kids have a hard life, harder than we remember.

NO WORRIES. 100 Things Your parents Told You As A Kid . . . has you covered with a list of one hundred unearthly demands parents place on their children. Hopefully, one or two will bring you back to your childhood and have you smiling of a much simpler time.

SIMPLER? Who am I kidding? Being a child is hard!

Includes: 
* 100 Things Parents Told You As A Kid 
* Things Parents Asked You 
* "Child At Heart" Interactive Test 
* And More!

BUY NOW:
BUY FOR KINDLE
BUY FOR iPHONE/iPAD/NOOK 
BUY PAPERBACK 

A Picture-Less Picture Book: The Zombie Who Didn't Fit In

You are the Illustrator in this Picture-Less Picture Book! Join Melvin the Zombie's journey while he tries to fit in. YOU draw the story with your imagination, page by page.

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READ the exciting storybook one page at a time.

DRAW whatever comes to your mind

CREATE a unique story with your imagination then share with your family and friends!

HAVE FUN!

BUY NOW:

BUY PAPERBACK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

The Jason Jack inhabits a small bit of space somewhere on planet Earth, living primarily in his fantasies. When not thinking of ice cream socials and candy bars, he’s probably taking a nap.

All Works above Copyright 2012 by Jason Jack
Cover art created by Jason Jack;
100 Things . . . cover Designed by Anamarie Alvarez
Visit TheJasonJack.com for more information

Weekend Site-Seeing

IF you haven't already done so, kick back and relax and head over THEJASONJACK.COM!

I'VE added new reviews over the last month, changed the layout, and more.

WHILE you're there, check out the new BUY BOOKS section, read sample chapters of my novel-in-progress The Lantern Lord, and leave comments!

ENJOY the weekend!

aPad-18: Sushi Celebration

A Paragraph a Day: Sushi Celebration

$62.12. The cost of sushi for me and two of the most influential and important people (and women) in my life. Good eats.

A FRIED aroma filled the restaurant, and my nostrils, the moment we walked inside. Before hand, we grabbed a menu and circled every dish we wanted to eat then stood in line, prepared for action. The cashier was a young Asian girl wearing clean pressed clothes and a cheery smile. She recited each of the twelve or so dishes we ordered back to us with just one minor flub--she thought we ordered salad instead of miso soup! After correcting herself, she accepted our money and gave us our receipt.

THE WAIT for our food didn't last long, about eight to ten minutes or the length of the alternate version of the Gangnam Style music video (which this sushi joint had playing on their 32 inch flat screen which hung above a soda machine).

AFTERWARDS, we took our treasure trove of food back home and watched Dark Shadows (featuring Mr. Depp) to end an enjoyable Friday night meant to celebrate the joys of years of hard work and dedication among us. I can honestly say tonight was a wondrous night indeed.

aPad-17: Stepping into Tomorrow

A Paragraph a Day: Stepping into Tomorrow

THE Present quickly becomes the Past, and we must start thinking about the Future. Tomorrow. What will we do next?

I JUST completed three books and am currently going through the process of copyrighting them, proofing, and submission. The next thing I plan on doing is creating another set of four or five books to finish writing, edit, and then submit. While I'm doing this, I'll be going over my LARGE novel for the Fall, line-by-line, until it's ready for submission by the end of the year (keeping my fingers crossed). And of course, I'll create more reviews for my website and blogs right here.

TOMORROW will bring more work, but fun work :) As it should be.

aPad-16: Editor's Note*

A Paragraph a Day: Editor's Note*

MET with an editor of one of my novels today. Advice I took from our Starbucks meeting (ears open, writer's and creators alike): Be consistent.

YES, sir or madam, you heard it hear . . . consistency counts. Why? Many reasons, of course! Characters change in the span of a story, but they should act like themselves in any given situation. A jumpy character wouldn't be able to walk into a job interview without a couple of nervous twitches and jerks. Some sound advice I received was to imagine each of my characters to the point I'm able to have a conversation about any topic with them. This will then--hopefully--transmit onto the paper when I'm writing their scenes thus creating consistent characters who act, speak, and move just like they should (like how I imagined them too).

WE all want to craft stories that will suspend our reader's disbelief. Creating consistent, believable characters will help us do just that.

aPdad-15: What if?

A Paragraph a Day: What if?

THE easiest way I know how to come up with an idea for a story is by asking a very simple question: What if?

I learned this story creating device from Stephen King, and if it's good enough for "The Man" it's good enough for me.

I'VE used it on many of of the novels I've written and went back to the ones I didn't use it to find the 'what if'. All stories can be trimmed down to this question. Harry Potter: What if a child was a wizard? Cat in the Hat: What if a talking cat wore a hat? Anita Blake: What it vampires openly existed in the world? Twilight: What if vampires sparkled in the sun? (joke-joke)

YESTERDAY, I thought of a new 'what if' I wanted to share. Most people ask, "what super power would you have if you could have one?" I ask, "what if everyone had superpowers?" Asking 'what if' is just the starting point. I'd follow up my question by asking more questions. What would it be like if millions of people had the ability to fly? Would there be mandatory training and licensing for them? Would there be special cameras and security for those who can turn invisible? Would the world be more productive or destructive? And, finally, in a world full of superheros, would a person ask themselves what superpower they WOULDN'T want to have?

ASK questions, create better story lines. Ask 'what if' if ever your'e creatively stumped. Be successful.

aPad-14: Through a Child's Eyes

A Paragraph a Day: Through a Child's Eyes

Today, let's look at the world through a child's eyes . . . your INNER child's eyes.

Let us not stroll but, instead, dash down memory lane to a time of unfiltered, uninhibited imagination. For the sake of today's conversation, let's say this is before the age of ten.

This is a time when "play" didn't mean fornication, inebriation, and clubbing-ation with spatters of reality television to fill the gaps. Play was coloring books, POGS, marbles, and catch. Play was recess doing four square hop scotch, tether ball, and tag. Jump rope, kickball, wall ball, and swings. Jungle gyms, SSR (sustained silent reading), holding your breath longer than your classmate, racing to the front of the school, along with show and tell.

Wishes and hopes were not wanting to win the lottery (for most youngin's). Wishes and hopes were waiting for a holiday just for the sake of having a three day weekend or hoping you could get your parents to let you stay home by acting sick. We hoped there would be a substitute teacher so we could watch movies all day or that our ten minute recess would magical become twenty minutes. And we all wished the the person in front of us would get off the water fountain by calling him a water hog!

This week, and every day forward, I would like people to remember they were a child once, and that your'e still the same person (albeit a tad older) today. Happy Monday!

aPad-13: That Old Adage

A Paragraph a Day: That Old Adage

WRITING is Rewriting.

THIS is true. The hours I spend on coming up with an idea, plotting it out, making a design skeleton, and writing the entire novel is less than the time I spend editing the piece (not to undermined the time I spend on creating the piece--that's dozens/hundreds of hours by itself!).

I always believed you can get better at your technical abilities and write more polished material the first go around, which will minimize editing, but there will always be an error missed that would need polishing.

AND that's okay. More experience will equate to more efficiency at writing which in turn will allow anyone to produce more stories. Plus, if you let yourself, editing is pretty fun!

aPad-12: Lightning and Thunder

A Paragraph a Day: Lightning and Thunder

I REMEMBER when lightning scared me as a child. Now, I have my face scrunched against the glass patio door--with a handful of popcorn--waiting for the next bolt to light up the sky.

ZEUS SAID hi, and it's a glorious event! Lightning kind of looks similar to when you try turning on your lamp and the bulb goes out, a quick flash then nothing. Thunder, on the other hand, happens a little after ( I've heard each second you wait between the flash and the roar, the lightning originates an additional mile away). It's a rumble/angry stomach cramp kind of sound that is so fun to hear.

I CAN'T believe I used to cry and cover my ears as a kid whenever two of nature's coolest events took place. I guess I was more child than writer back then. Now, someone hand me my blankey--I have authoring to do . . . after a short nap, that is.

aPad-11: That Time of Year

A Paragraph a Day: That Time of Year

FRANKENSTEIN. Dracula. The Wolfman. All classic Universal Monster movie characters, yet I have never seen the classic movies they're from.

I KNOW. It's that time of the year again when it would be more likely for me to marathon through some old classics. I just watched Young Frankenstein for the first time. Although it's not a "serious" movie, it's a classic in its own right. A Mel Brooks film with Gene Wilder--how could it not be a memorable flick?

I OFTEN look to any medium to find story-flow. Movies are just one of many, and they are a good source to analyze story progression, character development, and overall writing. Just make sure you have fun watching while your'e working :)

aPad-10: A-Maze-ing Corn Maze

A Paragraph a Day: A-Maze-ing Corn Maze

53 ACRES. 1 bottle of water. 1 hour and 47 minutes of fun!

I WENT along with the misses to the Largest Corn Maze on earth yesterday, and I could not come up with a solid, non-cliche story idea. The long, narrow rows of twelve foot tall corn--along with the feeling of being along--just leads itself to hockey mask killers with machetes. Suffice to say, all of my first pass of ideas had to do with horror tropes.

THE MAZE itself was awesome. The smell of husk and dust filled my nostrils, not too strong, while the sound of swaying corn and muffled voices surround us. The ground was mostly sturdy dirt with a few instances of divots to trip up a person's step. I actually said excuse me to a teen girl and she jumped and screamed like I was some hockey mask wearing psycho. Well, my name is Jason, after all. . .

IT WAS a fun filled first attempt at the corn maze with my significant other. I would surely do it again.

PS: I finally came up with an exciting corn maze story idea just minutes before going to sleep last night. I cant' wait to write it!

Happy Columbus Day!

OF COURSE, for those who celebrate it :)

AND HAPPY Columbus Day for all who just enjoy a day off from work and/or school today!

GO LIVE and experience life.

(History of C-Day)

aPad-9: Watch and Read Everything

A Paragraph a Day: Watch and Read Everything

WHAT types of media have you consumed in the last week?

I think that's an important question. After all, our writing is what we eat--experiences we've had whether we lived through, read , watched, or listen to them. I traveled to a place called Watsonville and I wrote an entire novel in a fictional representation of the town. And I've always enjoyed Dragonball Z's "there's always a greater threat" theme. I've used this many a time.

I watched Cabin in the Woods and came up with an idea for a novel. Joss Whedon might not have directed it, but his writing still shines. I've viewed many Chris Rock specials on YouTube, movies The Raid: Redemption and The Five-Year Engagement. I also just finished the first Harry Potter and Anita Blake novels.

OVER this weekend, before you spend your night and morning away at some club or party, consume some media. It's good for the creative brain.

aPad-8: One Liners

A Paragraph a Day: One Liners

"YOU MIGHT THINK what I do is bad, but that doesn't mean I can't be good at it."

THIS IS MORE OR LESS what a villain in the movie Raid: Redemption says about an hour and seven minutes into the movie. What an epic line!

THE LINES MOST WRITERS need to worry about are the opening line, the ending line, and the finishing line (look at me, making up terms). The opening line serves for the first sentence in the entire book and the first sentence for each chapter. I would argue the most important words in a story are the ones that open the book. The very first words better be epic and interesting if you want your readers to remain hooked and then buy your novel. You want your chapters to start just as strong and end with great sentences, ending lines, that'll keep them hooked and ready for more.

TO TOP IT ALL OFF, the last line of the novel should be fulfilling for the reader. After all, they just spent time and money invested in your story. Give them a good send away, will you.

aPad-7:Drunken Details

A Paragraph a Day: Drunken Details

DRUNK PEOPLE do all sorts of crazy things. Such as directing traffic, calling a limo b****, and simply trying to remain standing without falling over.

THE DEVIL'S not in the details, it's in the alcohol.

AS FAR AS learning real life character traits, inebriated people are one of the most educational to watch. If I didn't see it with my own eyes, I would have never thought of writing about a character standing in the gutter, talking to her boyfriend for five minutes about how stupid her shoe was. Drunkards also seem to think what they're saying is WAY more important than it actually is. I had trouble coming up with a response!

GETTING CHARACTERS to act just the way you want them involves technique and imagination. But sometimes, experiences can add a lot more to ones writing than ever thought.

PAY ATTENTION to everything around you. Mind the details, because they might just wind up in your next piece.

aPad-6:Hate is Such a Strong Word

A Paragraph a Day: Hate is Such a Strong Word

"Can we go to Barnes and Nobles, mom?" the teen girl asked her mom.
"No. I hate books."

THIS IS A TRANSCRIPT of a real discussion, and all I want to say is . . . I hate you!!!!

NO. Maybe I don't, I just don't understand how someone can hate imagination in writing. That's like hating your own mind, story telling, and words. I assume if someone in that woman's family was crushed to death by a full shelf range of thick Stephen King and Tom Clancy novels, then I can understand. Be vindictive against books, for sure. But, and I only assume because I don not know either the mother or daughter from the above quote, saying you hate books is not cool. It's actually a little too strong of a word choice to use.

I GET IT. Not all people read, not all people play games, or watch movies, or play sports and I support this. Hey, I could not be considered a sports fan, but I don't say I hate sports. Everyone has their own leisure activities and can do as he or she pleases.

FOR ME, I don't know what I would have done without books in kindergarten up until now. No Amelia Bedelia, no giving mice cookies or finding some stalker named Waldo, no goosebumps over my arm, no bloodied Carrie, and the list goes on. I'd probably go crazy. Maybe, I'd even start disliking books to the point I'd rig some book shelf to collapse.

MORAL OF TODAY'S STORY: Don't hate books. Drink Milk.

aPad-5: Party the Night Away

A Paragraph a Day: Party the Night Away

WHEN A DRUNK GIRL gripped onto my wrist for stability, and after some random dude rubbed his drenched arm against mine, I knew I was having fun at the club.

</sarcasm>

I DID IN DEED HAVE FUN going to my first club over the weekend. As a writer, I try to remain very aware of details I could use in stories while, at the same time, I make sure to immerse myself in the experience. Both external and internal details are good to learn in order to create more life-like characters and descriptions.

I'VE WRITTEN party and club scenes before, and it turns out I was pretty much on the money. Loud noises, sea of people, bright lights, and soft-core porn like atmosphere. I would now say the loud sounds from the speakers numbed the ears, the flashes of color from the strobe lights were piercing and momentarily blinded ones vision, and the amounts of debauchery boobs, butts, legs, and massive grinding against grinding pushed the envelope of what soft-core cold be considered (sans nudity).

I THINK I was the only person stopping in the middle of dancing to tell his girlfriend to turn around to "Look at that! I can use that in a story!" Sucks for everyone else. More story ideas for me.

JJ