In the next several weeks, you’ll notice a change here at JackFlacco.com. The change is an effort to capture my feelings about what I’ve been watching. For me, the thrill of starting something new has taken a life of its own. It will serve as the springboard for a new series. I’ll talk more about this later on.
I say change is good. Change allows for growth. Change keeps everyone thinking of better ways to get things done. Progress can only come from change.
Water needs to flow. It’s alive and vibrant when it moves from a stream to a river. It crests, splashes, and sprays as it enjoys the freedom of its movement. But when water remains standing—stagnant—an unpleasant smell occurs. Bacteria forms and makes the water undrinkable.
Similarly, in life, if there is no change, things become stagnant.
I try to balance the content of my articles as a means of maintaining an invigorating reading experience. When folks visit, I want them to say, “Hey, I never heard it put quite like that before!” That is the driving force to how I’d like my readership to react to the ideas I present on this site. It’s a tough balance, and that’s why you sometimes see photography and food articles for my Freedom Friday series. Changing it up makes for an enjoyable time—and who doesn’t like a good time?
Which brings me to my new blog feature—Wednesday Warriors. Since the protagonist to my Ranger Martin book series is a truck driver thrown in a fight he never wanted in the first place, and since I’ve been gorging on high-octane, white-knuckle action films, I figure I might as well make a feature of it.
Beginning December 17th, the first article for Wednesday Warriors will debut. It will feature fictional males in films and television who are either larger-than-life heroes or interesting anti-heroes with an agenda. Women Who Wow Wednesday may resurface, but for now, I’m looking forward to this new series and seeing where it will take us.
This is an exciting time here at JackFlacco.com, which I’m also hoping my readership will find just as exciting!
Tomorrow, my second book in the Ranger Martin series releases. That sentence makes it sound as if something’s about to escape the San Diego Zoo. From what I know, literature doesn’t eat people. At least I don’t think it does. So I wouldn’t worry about wild books named Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion running rampant in the streets. It’s just not going to happen—although you may encounter a slightly crazed author attempting to sell you his novel. And I use the word “attempting” in the loosest of terms because half the time, I have no clue what I’m doing.
Jack Flacco takes action to a new level.
I mean, I’d rather drive around aimlessly than spare myself the embarrassment of asking for directions. That’s how one year my family and I made it through Maine to Nova Scotia. How else do you think I’ve survived this long? I’m sure others are the same way. Same goes for bland theater popcorn. The idea of rising from my comfortable seat, knocking knees with the folks blocking the aisle all in a bid to get extra butter at the concession stand sounds like a lot of work to me. Instead, I’ll sit quietly never really knowing that I could have had more flavor for my snack during scenes of the latest Transformers film.
I’m not very good talking about myself either. I’m terrible at it. I have a Facebook page and Twitter account, and I post stuff on there, but I don’t like being intrusive. Trust me, I could do better with these days I have to talk about my book. It’s something that does not come naturally and takes me forever to come up with words that wouldn’t make me sound like I’m bragging. Because that’s what I don’t want to do—sound like I’m bragging.
For this reason, I’m dedicating this Monday Mayhem post to my Review Team. These folks volunteered their time and energy to read Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion in order not only to provide me feedback, but also to give potential readers an honest opinion. It’s best hearing what they have to say than for me to open my mouth so you can watch my brains fall out.
Meet the Review Team
Kristin’s The Faithful Elephant—“The moment you open the book, you are immediately immersed into the action. There really is no hesitation.”
Rhyanna’s Reads—“This book is one fantastic pile of pages. The book is one of the more exciting stories that I have read. It has action, and some funny, silly, and active characters!… This book is so wild that almost everyone will love and read it!”
K. Andrews’ Barnfullawalkers—“Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion is a madcap ride, a rollicking read, that will keep you turning the pages well past bedtime. Flacco weaves a tapestry of imagery, dialogue and intrigue in his tale of zombie apocalypse and world’s end that I find endlessly compelling as a reader, and truly inspiring as a writer…Flacco shows his skill as a writer and a storyteller as he weaves these fantastic elements together in a way that is enthralling, believable, and quite simply, unforgettable.”
Sandi Layne’s Writing from time…to time—“Though the title indicates there is an alien invasion—and there is—this is still a zombie story, complete with constant attacks by the walking undead as well as government cover-ups and entirely human bad guys.”
Karen Oberlaender’s My Train of Thoughts on…—“This story is as cleverly elaborated as the first one, has a pleasant flow, focuses on its protagonists and their strategy to save the human race, as well on ethical values.”
Jolene Cecil’s Valley Girl Gone Country—“I have to say that the twists and unexpected turns of this story will leave you stunned…unlike in a movie theater where one can cover their eyes with their hands shielding them from watching the impending doom of the characters on the screen, I couldn’t do that. I had to keep reading.”
Adrienne’s greatsnaps, goodtimes and me—“Readers beware: Flacco is also not afraid to kill characters. This made me very happy because what is an action, suspense novel without a few shockers? Sometimes he even lets you get to know the characters, become attached to them, and then BAM! They’re gone.”
Shy’s .:shy:.—“Ranger Martin’s ‘sidekicks’ are sometimes anything but sidekicks as some (a.k.a. Matty, a fiery teen) are just as gutsy as he is when it comes to crushing zombie skulls. I’m looking forward to reading the first book so I can witness some of the early events responsible for building these relationships.”
Mei-Mei’s Jedi by Night—“Ranger is exactly the kind of guy you want with you when facing down the undead: solid instincts, quick thinking, and of course a good shot. But he’s facing more than zombies; there are some extraterrestrial visitors in town, and they don’t seem friendly.”
The L. Palmer Chronicles—“Any good adventure also needs a great central villain. While the zombie is a unified hoard of un-death, General Grayson is a twisted, cold psychopath in search of only his own survival in this invasion. His cruelty and intelligence combine to make him a formidable enemy, and one who pushes Ranger Martin to his limits.”
The Scarlet Loser—“It’s hard to tell who to root for and who the real enemies are in the story. As soon as you pick a side, that side either dies or does something that you find morally questionable. When you decide that you don’t like a character, that character shows a hint of a redeemable quality that makes you wonder from where the character’s motives really stem.”
Kim’s Tranquil Dreams—“I have to say that adding aliens to the equation is very smart. It’s not just zombies but now it gets worse when you add in an unknown thing that has unknown capabilities like aliens. It’s a whole different ballgame and it makes for an exciting adventure. That’s how I felt while I was reading this novel.”
The Opening Sentence—“There isn’t a wall or car windscreen in north America that isn’t now painted with someone’s brain. For the alien horror fans there are plenty of airshafts and cornfields to have your jollies well and truly freaked out.”
Molly’s Hot2Molly—“From the very first sentence, Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion draws you in. The action begins instantly and Jack’s descriptive, compelling writing style feels both new and thrilling as well as familiar and comfortable – like you’re watching your favorite zombie movie come to life through words.”
Karina’s Live with Courage—“The very bestest, bestest, best part of the whole novel, though, is that there are strong female characters…none are cowering lacy dresses who talk nothing but boys and play the ‘woe-is-me-I’m-such-a-victim’ card. They all rise to the challenge and meet it head on. If the author was aiming for greater-than-life female characters that girls could look up to in tough times, I believe he nailed it.”
RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale tomorrow.
If someone were to have told me this time two years ago I’d be in the process of releasing my second book Ranger Martin and the Alien Invasion, I would have said they were nuts. And yet, here I am. Another book release. Another cover. I’m not ready to take that yacht cruise I’ve talked about just yet. But maybe one day, when all the work is complete and I’m itching to try something new, I’ll indulge in a little R&R. For now, I only have this story to keep you entertained—this Freedom Friday story about the new book cover.
Original photo I’d shot for the cover
As with my first book Ranger Martin and the Zombie Apocalypse, I left the cover design process to the very last minute. It was not because I procrastinated, not by any means, but because I didn’t know how best to represent the story through art. I knew it needed a flying saucer, that was a given. I also knew it had to have a dark sky, again, another given. What kept me from going further was how all the elements would fit with one another in a nice little package.
Like last year, I had to dig deep in my 16,000+ original photos collection in an effort to find a handful of images that would work. Not an easy task. I was looking for woods scenery, but then I didn’t know how the spaceship would fit into the design. I was lost and time was slowly creeping away.
Isolated leaves on green screen
Layered clouds
Added the saucer
The death ray
Finalized version
It wasn’t until I showed my son a few mockups that the creative juices began to flow. He had some amazing ideas and I wanted to incorporate all of them. One of his thoughts involved an onlooker watching the saucer from behind a tree. The forest scene would be reminiscent of those WWII movies where an escaped POW would be observing enemy planes passing overhead in the distance. I knew of the perfect picture and had no trouble finding it.
His next idea included deep dark clouds with a storm raging in the background. For a while, I wanted that, too. I tried adding clouds from a series of photos I’d taken a few years ago, but none them really worked. I ended up tossing the images and drawing my own clouds. Yep, them there are fake clouds, all right.
The last piece of the puzzle was the saucer. In reality, though, it was the first thing I’d worked on.
So begs the question—what did I use for the saucer? Initially, I wanted to throw a Frisbee in the air, take a shot and paste it into the scene. But my lack of motivation and lack of Frisbee prevented me for doing such a thing. I also had a hubcap I could have held from a fishing pole, yet again, my lazy self said, “I don’t think so.”
I eventually decided to work with a sightseeing landmark, cropping it, playing with the lighting, distorting it to have it look like the saucer in my head. The challenge was the bottom. Because the landmark is a tower, I had to erase the foundation and replace the underside with a pattern. Wouldn’t real life be simple if by the stroke of a mouse buildings could disappear? I’d totally replace them with parks and trees. By the way, if you can guess the landmark, I’ll give you the biggest kudos ever.
After I completed the work, I showed it again to my son. He liked it, but there was still something missing. I thought so, too. It needed color. That’s when I added the green ray firing from the bottom of the ship, the same ray featured in the first book of the series. Once I had drawn that, I knew there wasn’t anything left to do with it. I had finished.
And that’s the story behind the cover to my new book, folks. I really hope you enjoyed it, but most of all, I really hope you like the cover.
RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale October 21.
Did I miss anything? Do you have a question I may have not answered?
When did we all of a sudden become so tethered to our phones? Whenever I take the train into the city, everyone has a device of some sort keeping them entertained. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about “the itch”. If you don’t know what I mean, the itch is this compulsion to check our phones. Constantly.
What would the world be without devices?
I’ve spoken about this subject before, but more from the time management, productivity angle. This Freedom Friday post is more from a rant perspective. As you know, I don’t rant on my blog—at least my regular readers know this. I try to keep things on the lighter side. Even my zombie-related posts have a thread of dark humor I weave through it, and for those who can see it, I’m grateful. Sometimes, the only way I’ll know if I did a good job of it is when I get feedback stating such.
But this constant obsession with checking our devices has gotten way, way out of hand.
I’m writing this from the standpoint that I, too, am a big offender. When my book came out last year, I couldn’t go a few minutes without checking my phone. With a blog, a twitter account, facebook page, Amazon and email, I had my hands full. Literally. Things did settle down a few months later, yet what a crazy time that was.
Then there’s the intimacy issue.
When I’m at the mall, I’ll sometimes sit at a bench and watch people. Twenty years ago, people watching used to be fun. Husbands would fight with their wives about the cost of a new dress. Wives would fight with their husbands for checking out the new blond cashier over at the deli. This happened more often than you think, probably still does. And parents would get mad at their kids for wanting that shiny new game featured in the window of the mall’s biggest toy store.
Nowadays, everyone has their head down and they’re not talking with one another.
Ah, but the counterargument to that observation is that we’re all being social online. It’s a different way to communicate. Yes, I agree. It is different. The nuances people use to get their point across while communicating online disappears. Sure we have the smileys, winks and frowns, but where is the involuntary brush of the hair when someone’s lying? Or seeing them bite their nails in conversation because of anxiety? Or hearing the inflection of their voice when they’re about to fall to pieces? Or the tender touch when opening our hearts?
We’re living in a world where bits of information has replaced reality.
What would the world be like if we’d put away our devices?
RANGER MARTIN AND THE ALIEN INVASION, on sale October 21.
What about you? Do you find it difficult to put your phone down? What would you do differently to keep that phone disconnected and experience life as reality?
I write about zombies. There, I said it. I write about the atrocities zombies commit on humans during an apocalypse that should never have happened. I write about the horrors of being undead. I write about death and how it’s not the end but an unpleasant beginning for those chosen to die a second death filled with agony and despair.
In the depths of life
Although, it’s not all I write about.
I enjoy the touching moments between humans when they make that one connection in their lives they wouldn’t have known otherwise had they not taken a chance to explore an alternate universe. I’m talking about love.
Yes, I write about love and I write about death.
This is one of those strange Freedom Friday posts I could not have written hadn’t I lived through it myself without taking notes to understand what I had experienced. Don’t worry I haven’t lost my mind nor have I taken anything to help things make sense. Think of it as a philosophical autobiography of sorts that may ring true for you—or not. In either case, life is about experiences shared with others to reveal one’s true self.
Years and years ago when working in the printing industry, I had a task to supervise printing of decals that went on the side of courier trucks. These decals had to be perfect. Not a spot. Not a smudge. If the colors were off, even by a hair, the company who placed the order would reject the whole load.
One day, while operating the printing press—a monster of a press having a fifteen-foot printing arm affixed to a thousand-pound frame that would drop on an aluminum base covered with the material for printing—I had to get under the frame to clean the screen where the ink would pass in order to make the imprint on the material. Now, I didn’t worry the frame would fall on me because all around the machine emergency arms surrounded it that would prop the frame back to its upright position.
What’s Murphy’s Law again? Oh, yes—anything that can go wrong will go wrong.
I had to crawl deep into the press to remove the dirt on the screen above, but that also meant I didn’t have access to the emergency arm. One foot taller, I would have had full access to the switch.
Sure enough, the frame began to drop on me. Now, at this point, I don’t know how to explain it. I phased out? I really have no memory of the experience other than crawling back out and one of my coworkers asking me if I was okay. To give you an idea, had the frame fully dropped on me it would have crushed me whole. I’m assuming he saw the frame falling on me and pressed the emergency arm. He didn’t. He said it popped back into its upright position on its own. For a long time, I didn’t believe him. Of course, when you’re in shock, anything and everything anyone says is somewhat a blur.
That’s one.
At the bottom of the pool
During the summer after eighth grade, I wanted to take swimming lessons. The very first thing the instructor asked us to do was to dive into the deep end to find out how much we knew. I didn’t know when I registered for the course that I’d registered for the intermediate class. What did I know? While everyone else swam gracefully through the water, I slowly sank to the bottom of the pool. I’ll never forget a time I’d held my breath for what seemed as if history had stopped. A few seconds more and I’d have been dead, I’m sure of it.
I felt hands grasping my waist, pushing me to the surface. By the time I sat on the edge of the pool with my feet dangling in the water, I coughed so much I thought I had already died.
I don’t know who pulled me to safety. I’m assuming the instructor did. Again, no one really admitted anything and even though I felt grateful, to this day I question what actually went down that morning.
That’s two.
How can I describe what I felt when these near-death situations occurred? I wish I could say it’s easy to utter a few words that can capture the meaning these experiences convey to me. In some respect, I long for simplicity in the matter. Yet, sometimes, we don’t know why things happen the way they do. They just do. That’s life. While I can’t say I’d like to go through another one of these, I’m grateful for having had my life spared twice.
Someone once said these things happen in three’s. Let’s hope they’re wrong.
December 17th was the one-year anniversary when Jack Flacco: The Official Site went live. In celebration of this milestone, I will present the Top 5 Most Popular Freedom Friday posts of 2013.
But before anything else, allow me the gift of your attention to thank you for supporting me during 2013. This certainly has been a year of surprises, for sure. For instance, if you’re curious as to how many views and visitors I had this year, you can read this week’s Monday Mayhem post for site statistics. Also, in keeping with my wanting to express gratitude, I wouldn’t have thought my book would have been the success it is today without the help of my review team and all those who paid me kind words after its release. Thank you so very much, folks!
Onward. When choosing the Top 5 Most Popular Freedom Friday posts, I first wanted to present them based on amount of views. The more I thought of it though, more it didn’t make sense. For instance, a visitor may pop into the site and hit the same post several times within the day. I didn’t think it fair, considering there could have only been two visitors for that day and a hundred views.
Next, I thought I’d use comments as the benchmark. You know, the more comments a post has, the more popular it is. Again, I didn’t think it represented a good way to measure popularity given I can comment on my own post a dozen times and push it ahead on the popularity scale.
No, what I used is the number of “likes” a post has garnered throughout the year. It will not only present a fair representation of popularity for a post but also prevents users from gaming the system with multiple “likes”.
Okay, now for the list. You’ll notice that for third place we have a tie. Other than that, it’s straightforward. Are you ready? Here it is.
The Top 5 Most Popular Freedom Friday posts of 2013:
Canada’s Wonderland Water Fountains
My Favorite Things—“For a long time, photography has inspired me to travel great distances, survive sour weather and mangle my body into weird positions all in the expectation of capturing that perfect shot. Today, I hope you enjoy this edition of Freedom Friday because today, I’d like to give you a tour of my favorite subjects. As…”~86 likes
Dinosaur Paws
Royal Ontario Museum—“During this year’s spring break, my family and I skipped the idea of going to the Ontario Science Centre and decided to hit the Royal Ontario Museum instead. It was a cold and dark morning, raining to no end, and we thought it great if we could be in among history. Besides, I wanted to…”~79 likes
A path to the foot of the woods
Autumn Photography—“Every autumn I go on safari. Not really. I treat it as a safari, though. I pack my camera in my satchel, slip on a warm jacket, and head for the woods. What am I hunting, you may ask? Trees, leaves, nature—anything really to depict this glorious season we call fall. And that’s my Freedom…”~77 likes
Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls—“Recently, my family and I took a trip to Port Colborne, a small town west of Fort Erie, half-an-hour away from Niagara Falls. Due to the nature of the trip, it was only for a couple of days, we traveled most of the time in and out of the car, and in and out of…”~77 likes
Thunder and Lightning Storm
My Dark Secret—“I have a secret. A very deep and dark secret. It’s the kind of secret that would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. Yet throughout the past year, holding my tongue, I never thought it possible I could ever admit to having this secret. This is my Freedom Friday…”~71 likes
Avocado & Lemon
Avocados—“Did you know avocados are a fruit? I didn’t know that for a long time. Much like tomatoes, they have a seed inside. According to science, that’s what makes it a fruit. In cooking, however, it’s a different matter. Served in delicious savory meals, chefs define it more as a vegetable. Avocados also provide an…”~69 likes
That’s it! Thanks for a great first year here at JackFlacco.com. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be back next week with more posts for your reading pleasure. Have a great weekend!
Yesterday, December 17th, was the one-year anniversary when Jack Flacco: The Official Site went live. In celebration of this milestone, I will present the Top 5 Most Popular Women Who Wow Wednesday posts of 2013.
First, I would like to thank all the folks who took the opportunity to visit my site this year. I have to say, you’ve flattered me by all the attention you’ve shown me. If you’re interested to see how much attention this site received, check out this week’s Monday Mayhem post for the 2013 stats of views and visitors.
Moving along. When choosing the Top 5 Most Popular Women Who Wow Wednesday posts, I first wanted to present them based on amount of views. The more I thought of it though, more it didn’t make sense. For instance, a visitor may pop into the site and hit the same post several times within the day. I didn’t think it fair, considering there could have only been two visitors for that day and a hundred views.
Next, I thought I’d use comments as the benchmark. You know, the more comments a post has, the more popular it is. Again, I didn’t think it represented a good way to measure popularity given I can comment on my own post a dozen times and push it ahead on the popularity scale.
No, what I used is the number of “likes” a post has garnered throughout the year. It will not only present a fair representation of popularity for a post but also prevents users from gaming the system with multiple “likes”.
Okay, let’s get to list.
The Top 5 Most Popular Women Who Wow Wednesday posts of 2013:
Hermione Granger
Hermione Granger—“As the precocious, young witch in the magical world of Harry Potter, it doesn’t seem fitting to include Hermione Granger in my Women Who Wow Wednesday series. However, once we see what she accomplishes when she flees the troll in the film Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, we can safely cast aside all those biases…”~70 likes
Natalie Portman as Mathilda
Mathilda—“Last week, for my Women Who Wow Wednesday series, I wrote about The Bride, Quentin Tarantino’s blitzkrieg. This week, I’m concentrating on Mathilda, Luc Besson’s hitgirl—raw steal for nerves and a tummy made of iron. When Natalie Hershlag auditioned for the part of Mathilda in the movie Léon: The Professional, everyone had fallen off their…”~64 likes
Underworld’s Selene
Selene—“What better way to kick off today’s Women Who Wow Wednesday post than with a kick ass, female Death Dealer. I like vampires. Well, I like vampire movies, not vampires per se. Otherwise that would make me weird. Then again, I do love zombies, so that makes me weird enough. But I like a good…”~57 likes
Jamie Lee Curtis as Laurie Strode
Laurie Strode—“For those unfamiliar with the Halloween franchise, one cannot say the name Laurie Strode without saying Michael Myers in the same breath. One, the protagonist. The other, über-antagonist. Women Who Wow Wednesday continues with horror’s scream queen Laurie Strode. When Jamie Lee Curtis accepted the role of Laurie Strode in the 1978 horror classic Halloween…”~54 likes
Princess Leia Organa
Princess Leia—“Erupting from the screen for the very first time, Princess Leia Organa confronted the evil Darth Vader head on. With a determined resolve, she fights to the last until captured. Women Who Wow Wednesday wouldn’t be the same if I’d never written about the courageous Star Wars damsel. I love Princess Leia. She was one…”~53 likes
Come back Friday when I reveal the Top 5 Most Popular Freedom Friday posts of 2013. Don’t miss it!
Looking to God 