Writing from my other life, in languages both foreign and strange

In my other life, a huge software release looms on the horizon: December 7^th! The outcome of this December day may not be as catastrophic as that fateful day in 1941, but close. I don’t anticipate any loss of life, at least not yet. Tears? Shouting? Pulling out hair? Yes, yes, and yes. But blood will not be shed (at least not by me).

In my other life, I am a software engineer, one who has put in a huge amount of overtime lately for the aforementioned release. While consumed with my work, I thought it would be interesting to share some snippets of the writing I do when not slaying dragons and chasing elves in novels.

The languages presented are nearly as ancient as Latin, and some may add just as dead. Some (re: my sons) would argue I'm just as old. Maybe I am, but it's been a challenging and rewarding career. Anyone who guesses the languages wins . . . um . . . a hearty pat on the back. I don’t have anything to give away just yet :-)   

Some may find it strange when I say that programming is much like writing a novel. A problem is presented to me, a goal is spelled out. It is my job to start at point A and design a process to solve the problem (plot), code the process (write the draft novel), wind my way through all the landmines and obstacles and testing (edit draft, write, cut, edit, write, cut, cut) until I have a final shining product that works (a story people will enjoy reading). 

 

A little known fact is that most software engineers read fantasy, while the hardware geeks (you know, the guys who can build a motherboard with their eyes closed) read science fiction. Go figure.

If anyone asks me what I do other than write, I can honestly say that I write software.

 

I've left a message below coded in IBM EBCDIC.  Code is read vertically and then left to right. (E3 is one letter) Want to try and decipher the message? You'll get another pat on the back. :-)

 

Come to the Quiet

I’m sure most of us have that one special place in our lives. It may be a timeshare on the beach or on the ski slopes. Maybe it’s the farm or the hunting cabin, or that special inn tucked away in the mountains. Heck, it may even be Time Square on New Years Eve or just your own porch in the cool of the evening.

For many years, my family has been blessed to own a cottage along the Allegheny River, roughly 35 miles northeast of Pittsburgh PA. I grew up there, as did my children. Now a new generation is enjoying cookouts with family and friends, long boat rides, and sleepovers. Never forget the hotdogs and s'mores cooked over a fire.

 For me, my special place extends out a bit further to include a special time. As I post this, summer is a memory in my little corner of the world and fall is winding down. Our cottage is closed up for the season, as are most of the other homes on the river. The boat is in winter storage. The boat dock is on dry land.

This is my special time in my special place.

Now there is quiet in my special place as leaves turn and float to the ground. The water is still as glass. The boats and skiers and wave runners are a memory. No music blares from nearby camps. Now I hear turkey and coyotes calling in the distance.

Life is too hectic. There are too many distractions. I need this special time in my special place. I need to bundle up against the cold and take long walks with just my dog and my thoughts and my Lord.  I need to watch the sun set over tranquil waters. Sometimes this is the only place and time where the world makes any sense to me. How about you? Where's your special place? Care to share?

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Book Cover - It's decision time & I Would Love Feedback

Whispers from Forbidden Earth is soon coming out in paperback . . .Woot!!!!. That leaves me in a bit of a quandary, however. I'm trying to decide between two covers and would LOVE some feedback. The story is a fantasy written for ages 8 and up.  I love the colors on one but that's the adult in me talking.

Let me know what you think, especially the children. They're the reason I wrote the story in the first place.
Thanks --Mark

Love for all things Keurig

I have one vice in life—COFFEE. Pause . . . deep breath. OK, maybe chocolate . . . and . . . um . . . there’s also peanut butter. BUT COFFEE is my #1 vice. More times than not, a coffee mug is within reach, whether I’m driving or attending meetings at work, or relaxing at home during cold winter nights. During our fall vacation to the Canadian Maritime Provinces in October, I HAD to make my first pilgrimage to Tim Hortons. Hopeless? Yes, I’ll admit it.

When the kids bought Kathy and I a Keurig coffee maker for Christmas a couple of years ago, I entered coffee nirvana. Completely new vistas of aromas and tastes and brands opened to me. Not the frilly pumpkin or cinnamon or Hazelnut or wimpy spice coffees, mind you. I’m talking dark roast and Italian Roast. You know, manly brews.  I discovered Newman’s Own Extra Bold and Caribou Blend (Thank God there’s a store 30 minutes from home). I fell in love with Barista Prima Italian Roast and Tully’s Italian Roast Extra Bold.

To tell you how hopeless I am, I had to stop drinking ANYTHING that contained caffeine for a week to prepare for a medical test. One day after taking my last sip of coffee, the headaches started. Two days later, I noticed dull muscle aches spreading through my legs. Yep, I was going through caffeine withdraw. I was experiencing the coffee-equivalent of DTs.  

Well, the test results were fine and I’m pleased to announce I’m back partaking in my drug of choice. I’m equally pleased to announce the DTs are gone! Here’s a list of my favorite Keurig K Cups. What’s yours? If you have a favorite dark roast, pass it along!

·         Barista Prima Italian Roast

·         Newman’s Own Extra Bold

·         Starbucks French Roast

·         Tully’s Italian Roast Extra Bold

·         Caribou Blend

Dreamscapes -- Hindering or Following?

We all have recurring dreams--periodic images form our sleep that our mind may employ to help resolve tough or emotional situations in our lives. Rest assured I won’t blog about running down the middle of the highway in skivvies. I shudder just thinking about that. :-)

In my recurring dream, I’m back in college during finals and I’m facing a math test I need to pass in order to graduate. The only problem is I haven’t attended a single class all semester. From there the dream takes on two distinct flavors. I’m either sitting in the classroom staring at the test, knowing I’m going to fail, or I’m running across campus, totally lost and unable to find the classroom.  I know, I’m a sick puppy, huh?

I’m not a trained psychologist, but in my life, in my personal circumstances, the meaning is clear. I’ve dealt with insecurities and fear of failure my entire life. The insecurities recently mounted with the publication of my mid-grade fantasy novel, Whispers from Forbidden Earth, now available in eBook on Amazon (YEA!!!). Thoughts of “what am I doing here” and “I don’t belong” kept swirling around in my mind.

BUT! But, but, but . . .  CNN had a recent slideshow/article that offered me such a feeling of hope: 

18 stars just as insecure as we are.  

I was intrigued and encouraged reading quotes like –

“Even though I had sold 70 million records, there was this feeling like, I'm not good at this.” -- Jennifer Lopez

"I get insecure about everything. I'm still bewildered when people know my name or my face. I can't figure out what they would possibly want to talk to me for." --Anna Kendrick

“I had an existential crisis at the Oscars, sitting next to Sean Penn and Meryl Streep and being like, 'What am I doing here? I don't belong here,'" --Amy Adams

Kind of silly, but what a relief. I’m not the only one! I’m not alone! Despite their insecurities, these stars reached the top of their profession. They followed their dream despite their anxieties. For me, Whispers from Forbidden Earth is finally out. I authored a novel, something many dream of but never accomplish. Then I found a publisher who believed in my story enough to send it out for the world to see. I did it and I’m moving forward. Now let’s see what the future holds.

Maybe I do belong after all. 

Here's the link to my book. Let me know what you think --Mark

  Whispers from Forbidden Earth 

Shared History--In Fantasy and the Real World

As an author, it is so fascinating to see a developing story lead me in directions I never intended. This is especially true with fantasy. Not only do the characters tell me what they should be doing and correct me when I do something stupid, but I see an entire world develop right in front of my eyes. I see rich vistas unfold before me—landscapes and villages and races. It is such a joy to behold.

With Whispers from Forbidden Earth (soon to be released by Helping Hands Press), there are two vastly different worlds: Earth and Eversong. One is familiar to the reader, Earth, but terrifying and strange to the protagonist, the young elf Strum stranded there. The other world, Eversong, is fantastical place to the reader, with its ancient races of trolls and pixies, elves, and gnomes, its lavender trees, its dragons and magi. But it’s Strum’s world, a world he fights to return to.

The worlds are vastly different but there’s a shared history hinted at within the story, a shared history more fully revealed in the sequel. That’s exciting to me as the author and totally unexpected. It is so exciting to have the story reveal itself to me, to share stories it wants me to know.That shared history caused me to start thinking recently about my own history. 

I’m a proud 2^nd generation Italian born in America, both my mother’s and father’s family coming to this country in the early 1900s. To me, it’s so important to keep the old traditions alive, to follow the old recipes that my mother uses and her mother before her.

It’s that identity, tied to the old world, that I want to keep alive here, not only for me, but for my children and the generations to come.  I love the Feast of the Seven Fishes celebrated Christmas Eve. I love Soppressata and Capicola, Prosciutto and Fontinella cheese.  Here’s a recipe for a northern Italian dish called Bagna Cauda (translated: Hot Bath). We make it on special occasions, and anyone who loves dipping Italian bread into oil and garlic, will LOVE this. I guarantee it . . . or I’ll send my cousin Guido to your house to educate you on the finer points of Italian cuisine. :-)

Bagna Cauda

Cover bottom of pan or skillet with olive oil

6 large garlic cloves, chopped

Simmer garlic in oil until brown

25 oz sardines (in olive oil)

18 oz anchovies (in olive oil)

(We follow the rough ratio of 1 oz anchovy to 2 oz sardines)

1 stick unsalted butter

I prefer using Roland's sardines and anchovies

This sauce is served in a pot for everyone to dip vegetables into. Serve it with chunks of crusty bread and your favorite  raw vegetables.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bagna-Cauda-2827#ixzz2DTRrAA4e

Whistling in the Fog

The release date of my mid-grade novel, Whispers from Forbidden Earth, is fast approaching. WOOT! The journey has been VERY long and now that the culmination is approaching, how do I feel? Ecstatic? Nervous?

Try numb.

As a professing Christian, I look at many aspects of life through the lens of my faith, a lens that is a bit foggy at times. Here’s what I mean. First, I believe everyone is born with talents and gifts to use in life. Clear-cut. Second, I believe God guides our steps. That’s where the fog roles in. 

I am thankful to the folks at Helping Hands Press for seeing the potential in my story and agreeing to work with me. But, this is not the way I envisioned it. I’m sure most first-time authors dream of landing an agent and signing a six-figure contract with a major imprint for the next blockbuster novel. I did.

Facing the daunting, mind-numbing, maddening subjective world of publishing, and after receiving 14 “Dear author, sorry your work doesn’t meet our needs. Best of luck.” rejection letters from agents, I decided to submit to HHP after the success of others in my critique group. I know 14 rejections barely scratch the surface. But, with agents rejecting 99.5% of everything they see, and hearing stories of first-time authors being rejected 30, 50, 100 times, I wasn’t willing to spend a year or so playing the game. A part of me feels at peace going with a small press, but another part wonders what could have been. I made the decision, though. For better or for worse, I made the decision, and I have to trust the path before me is the correct one.

A year ago this week, I embarked on a vacation of a lifetime. I, along with two close friends, participated in a seven-day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon with Western River Expeditions. OK, what does this have to do with writing? Be patient. :-)   It was the most unbelievable experience. For seven days, I witnessed the power of the Colorado River. I saw a glorious ecosystem unimaginable from the small glimpses most visitors get from the South or North Rim.

Now to tie the threads together. Rafting the Grand Canyon was my decision. People have died rafting there. Many people. One young woman drowned just a couple of weeks after my trip. The risks never entered my mind. This was a trip I’d wanted to take for so long, nothing would stop me. Right before we shoved off on the river, our head guide gave one final warning to the sixteen guests on the raft: If anyone has second thoughts about the trip, get off NOW. Once we start, there’s no way out or back for seven days.

I faced the unknown on that trip and had a blast doing it. I trusted our guides. I trusted their skill and experience. I trusted them with my life. I was nearly tossed from the raft on Lava Falls rapid, but man, what a ride. Enjoy the pics!