Beautiful Like You

Back in 2000 to 2002, there was a short lived television series called Special Unit 2. It was about a Chicago police unit whose job was to deal with "links" - also known as mythological creatures that could harm humans (such as Medusa, Black Widows, Gargoyles, and more).

In one episode of the series, the group Joydrop appeared and played themselves, and they also played two of the songs in the show. This one happens to be my favorite.

Need You Now

Sometimes he can see it all with clarity, and sometimes everything he sees is cloudy, murky, and indistinct.

I need him now. The chains are still holding him in the room. They are clearly weaker, but his strength is not yet enough to overcome them.

It's only a matter of time. It will happen. But I do want it to happen so much faster than it is. I want him to be free now, to come out of the room and be everything he was meant to be.

The Prisoner

His arms are chained to the wall. His thin frame stretches down to the floor. His only clothing is the remaining shreds of blue jeans around his waist. Dirt and grime cover his chest and leaves his hair hanging limp.

The days of isolation and confinement are taking their toll on his body and mind. He still has strength and will power left, as he has only been confined here for two months, but that strength will wane if he does not escape soon.

The captivity was not voluntary, nor was it intentional. Just a matter of being in the wrong place at the wrong time in a manner of speaking. The chains holding his wrists above his head prevent no only hold him captive, they also keep him from using his abilities. His hands are part of his trade and without the use of them, he is effectively helpless. No matter how intelligent, and no matter how hard he thinks through, escape is not possible until his hands are freed.

The captor has a name, but does not have a face or a voice that he can confront. The captor simply exists and is neither evil nor good. It has done good things for some, and bad things for others, and in this case it took him prisoner. Where this man would remain until the life span of the captor comes to an end.

Only when the captor becomes weakened may he attempt to free himself from this bondage. Only then may he escape the cramped stone cell and return to his life. He holds no malice for the captor, but he will never again face or confront the captor.

The chains are growing weaker. He freed one hand. It is only a matter of time now before he is fully free.

The Look

In 1989, Swedish duo Roxette finally got their breakout hit. A song that literally went around the world for them and made them an international pop sensation. Several more songs would follow, including some more really big hits.

But this song is where it started.

Getting an opinion

I did a little experiment today with Jeremy's Kiss.  When I first released the book I had the pitch on the back cover.  Later I changed the pitch and entered the book in a contest (sadly the pitch wasn't good enough to get into the next round of the contest).

I was not able to tell which pitch was actually better though.

So I asked a friend who has a daughter who knows nothing about me at all (they live across the country) to read both pitches as if they were 2 different books and tell me whether or not she would be interested in reading the book.  Then which book she would prefer.

So my non-scientific experiment with an unbiased person indicated that I should be using the newer pitch.  I think I'll keep it.

What am I writing about?

That's quite a huge question while working on a novel. Not just any novel either. This is a sequel to my first novel. So I need to follow up that story, keep the characters consistent or growing.

I get into the story...then find myself at a point where I am not sure what is happening next, or how events proceed. Or in my current case, how do I get from what I have written to where I expect the scene to get to?

I'm at that point right now. I know what I want in the scene, but I need to get from where I have written so far to that point. It's like it's on the tip of my tongue, but I can't quite say the word. It will come to me. I just have to relax. Rest. Exercise. Ride the motorcycle, and survive difficult times at work.

This story will come out.

Metro

Terri Nunn was the lead singer for Berlin, an American group formed in Los Angeles in 1978. They really don't have anything to do with Germany or that small little hamlet in Germany (maybe its a touch bigger than a hamlet...can't say I've been there myself, but I've heard of it).

Now for a little bit of trivia about this band. The lead singer Terri Nunn left the band for a short time to try to become an actress. She auditioned for the role of Leia Organa in a film that didn't have many big name actors. Leia Organa is best known as Princess Leia and the role went to Carrie Fischer, the rest is history of course.