Update 12/29/16

New chapter (#13) is up and ready for your eyes, along with a new track recorded for your ears.

Update 11/18/16

New chapter (#12) is up along with a new track on the Soundcloud for listening pleasure. Thanks for the feedback!

Update 11/5/16

New chapter (#11) is up along with a new track on the Soundcloud for listening pleasure. Thanks for the feedback!

Music: Explosions In The Sky

I've been a fan of Explosions In The Sky ever since I discovered their music in the 2004 film Friday Night Lights. There ability to create intimate, emotional instrumental music that can build to crashing crescendos is truly unique, both in that it is hard to believe nobody had honed in on this sound prior to them, and so few bands can do it well.

While their actual album output is very good, I have gravitated toward their soundtrack work specifically on films like the aforementioned Friday Night Lights, and more recently with Lone Survivor (also directed by Peter Berg) and Prince Avalanche.

Update 9/29/16

A few pieces of important news regarding the ongoing project that is “The Black Sky.”

First, this update includes two, count ’em, TWO, chapters – #9 and #10. There is a mini-story arc I wanted as a bridge between the two, and just kept writing, so this update is a twofer.

Second, as I have been listening to a lot of ambient/electronic music while writing, I decided to craft some tracks inspired by the chapters and will be posting a new track over at Soundcloud each time a new chapter is posted. Think of it like pairing a fine wine with your choice of entree. Tracks are uploaded from the Prologue to the new chapters, and new tracks will accompany each new chapter.

Thanks everyone who has been reading along, feedback is invaluable.

Music: Mad Max Fury Road Soundtrack

Last year I saw Mad Max Fury Road twice in the theater. I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen a movie twice in a movie theater, I'm just not that kind of fan. I don't go multiple times unless someone I know wants to go and I've already seen it, or if I went for free (which happened with Inception, once as an advance screening, once with my wife when it was out).

I've let it be known that this is my favorite action film in a long time. Every moment feels visceral and raw, it is audacious and ambitious while maintaining an incredibly simple and effective plot. It's visually stunning and, for my purposes, has a soundtrack that stands on its own thanks to Junkie XL. In writing some action sequences for The Black Sky, I had tracks from Fury Road on a loop to help set the tone, and it really helped shape what was happening in my head and typing on my computer.

Update 8/18/16

Chapter #8 is done! Thanks to those reading along and providing feedback, it helps immensely.

Update 8/8/16

Quick Update: The 7th chapter is now up, along with some minor revisions in previous entries. All of the feedback and notes are appreciated, keep them coming! Thanks all!

Update 7/22/16

Hey, another chapter down! Here's #6 for your reading pleasure, thanks again for all the feedback!

Music: S U R V I V E

Like a lot of people, I just binged watched the entire season of Stranger Things on Netflix. Besides being a fantastic show with the right amount of winking nostalgia for the era it is set in, combined with modern episodic storytelling flare, the show features a soundtrack that is spot on, with elements of Tangerine Dream, Vangelis, Giorgio Moroder and John Carpenter.

Credited to Michael Stein and Kyle Dixon, turns out they are actually a band from Austin, Texas called S U R V I V E (yes, that's how they spell it, with the spaces). The band only have a few releases available, but a new album is due this fall. It's the perfect early 80s synth sounds that fell out of favor in the 90s and 00s, but seem to be making a resurgence in the last few years thanks to the abundance of newer low/mid budget horror and thriller films.

Update 6/30/16

Another quick one, chapter #5 is done! Check it out and thanks for the feedback.

Update 6/10/16

Chapter #4 is complete. Moving along at nice pace now. Gimme that feedback!

Music: Petar Dundov

Before I started writing The Black Sky, I didn't know who Petar Dundov was, nor had I heard any of his music. Somehow, via a Spotify rabbit hole, I discovered Petar's music and have incorporated into my regular writing sessions.

Techno is the simplistic term for his music, but I've found it to be much more than that. There is a strong sense of melody and structure within the drum and synth loops, and with many tracks approaching the ten minute mark, it's easy to get immersed in the sounds and loose track of time while punching away at the keyboard.

Update 5/19/16

Chapter #3 is done! Looking forward to feedback on this one.

If you're curious, here is what the Bank of America Tower in Manhattan looks like.

Music: Ghosts i-iv by Nine Inch Nails

I'm going to post a quick link to what I've been listening to recently while writing. For the most part, I can only write to instrumental music. Anything with lyrics is distracting, so it's soundtrack scores, electronic music, etc.

In this case, it's the 2008 four-disc release Ghosts i-iv by Nine Inch Nails. Although considered an "album" by the band, it's much looser than that. Some tracks barely register two minutes, while others are more fully realized. If you are familiar with Nine Inch Nails albums such as The Fragile, which has a number of instrumental tracks, this isn't dissimilar.

For me, it's perfect combination of propulsion and dark moodiness, which helps put me in the proper mindset for whatever I'm writing.

 

Update 3/29/16

Chapter #2 is done! Took longer than expected, but it's ready for feedback. Thanks!

In this chapter, I wanted Angela to have a signature weapon. Doing some research, I discovered the Australian Jagdkommando tri-edge fixed blade dagger. It's exceptionally deadly, and giving a pair of them to her gives her an edge (no pun intended) over anyone who messes with her.

For Dawes, this is the image that helped guide me on his vehicle. Lots of armor, nothing like the civilian version.

New Book Project: The Black Sky

I got inspired, that’s usually how these things begin. Years ago, before releasing Power Ballad, I sat at home evenings and plotted out screenplays. After the bands I was in went kaput, I needed something to do, something creative. Over a summer, I wrote my first screenplay. I even held a table read with friends to see what is sounded like when other people read it. Bad, it sounded bad. And a number said, you have no third act, it just ends.

So, I wrote some more, getting out my own world (being single, at the time, bands, music, etc.) and starting exploring other worlds. One of the last I worked on was an hour-long tv pilot called The Black Sky, which I described as “Escape from New York meets The Road.” So, you know, lighthearted, obviously.

I sent some screenplays out to managers and agents, submitted to contests, but nothing came of it. Then Power Ballad came along, and then Dig Me Out, and I got sidetracked from the screenwriting. Somewhere along the way, I decided a novelization might be better than screenplay, so I started turning The Black Sky into a novel. That probably started in 2012, which was the year my daughter was born. Lots of things got shelved between 2012 and 2015 thanks to new jobs for me and my wife, buying a house and the typical newborn/toddler responsibilities.

And then I read The Martian, and learned how Andy Weir wrote the book, chapter by chapter, writing himself into a corner, with feedback from readers each time. And this inspired me to start carving out time to continue creative pursuits that had been abandoned. I went back the novelization I started on The Black Sky, started rewriting, and finished the first chapter.

What’s posted for download here is the prologue and first chapter of the book, and it needs feedback. My wife, who will not b.s. or protect me, said yes, it does indeed not suck, so I feel confident I’m off to a decent start. I would appreciate feedback, thoughts, criticisms, suggestions. I have a loose skeleton of a plot for the remainder of the book, but I am open to revision.

As new chapters go up, old versions will come down, as to not muddy the proverbial water. And at the end, hopefully, there will be book.

See you on the other side.