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The Power of Pull | Life is but a dream…
The Power of Pull | Life is but a dream….
I received a public thank you from Kendall Grey for reviewing her book, “Inhale”, here on my blog. If you haven’t seen it, you can read my review here.
I said it before and I will say it again. A talented lady and a gifted writer. Check her out if you haven’t already.
L. E. White
Surgery and Silly Zombies
There just isn’t going to be much of a post today. Last Tuesday my youngest had his tonsils removed. Then, my oldest turned 18 on Friday and my wife had her birthday on Saturday (Did you notice that I didn’t mention her age? Very important survival tactic.). What with taking care of family and celebrating I don’t have much to report. This is all you get.
However, a week or two ago @TheaIsis was tweeting about being down and needing a boost. I responded that she should consider, “What if Dr. Suess had been a horror writer?” This also spawned a conversation with my lovely wife as well as a really odd dream. So here is my take on Dr. Suess and Zombies. I hope you enjoy it.
L. E. White
The Zombie Book
One Zombie, Two Zombie
Three Zombie, Four
All Trying To Claw
Through Your Bedroom Door
—–
In Your Yard
And On The Street
There Are So Many Zombies
You Don’t Want To Meet
—–
Some Zombies Crawl
And Some Zombies Walk
But So Far We Haven’t
Heard One Zombie Talk
—–
This Zombie Runs
And That One Can Jump
And Here Is Another
Hiding Inside Your Trunk
—–
On The Roof
Or Across The Street
There Are So Many Zombies
You Don’t Want To Meet
—–
Zombies In The Air
And Some On The Stair
But Here Is One Fellow
Who Has Flaming Hair
—–
Zombies On The Ground
And A Few At The Pound
Some Zombies Even Like
To Ride The Merry-Go-Round
—–
Some Zombies Like Women
And Some Like Boy Bands
And Here Sits One Fellow
Who Chews On His Hands
—–
If You Are Stuck On A Plane
Or Inside A Train
There Will Still Be A Zombie
To Chew On Your Brain
—–
If You Must Go Outside
Better Carry A Gun
And If The Zombies Show Up
Still Be Ready To Run
—–
Since They Nibble Your Fingers
And Chew On Your Feet
There Are So Many Zombies
You Don’t Want To Meet
Happy Birthday
Today is the 18th birthday of my oldest. His mother posted these on her Facebook page and I just couldn’t help but post them here as well.
Happy Birthday.
Dad
Movie Review – TrollHunter
I was surfing twitter when @1nickeverhart was asking for people to watch and review his short “Slash in the Box”. Being a fan of the scary I dropped over to the link he provided and managed to discover a whole new way to look at a movie. It was fantastic and I was blown away. So little dialog, almost no special effects and yet, this has turned into one of my favorite films due to Nick’s vision. The use of camera angles and tension building made the film for me and I was hooked. I can now be counted among Nick’s fans.
So, when he started talking about how much he loved the movie Troll Hunter I was excited. The time to return to the video store had returned and I couldn’t wait to see what he was talking about. Now, I admit to being a geek so I was more than willing to suffer through sub-titles to see something great but I was worried about any of my family enjoying it.
Wanting to watch something that my kids might not get was no big deal. I am used to that and as they grow up I hold hope that they will begin to love some of the things that I do, but the wife was another story. We don’t spend all that much time apart so I wouldn’t be watching it without her. That said, I didn’t figure there was any way a foreign film that she had to read along with would be accepted but I really wanted to watch it. So, one night after the spawn had been put in bed I mentioned the movie and received the lack luster, “You can watch it if you want to.” That I had expected.
So the movie starts, and she is sitting beside me playing on her iPhone. She isn’t even going to give it a chance but since she agreed she is sitting through it with me. Then, as the movie progresses, she is looking up a little. That is, until the first troll is seen on-screen.
Yeah, that would be when the phone was turned off.
The basic premise is that a group of film students doing a documentary stumble on a man who hunts trolls. They then follow along and record some of his exploits. The film adds elements of realism by offering what seem like plausible explanations for the trolls and their biology and even an interview with a veterinarian.
This film does a fantastic job of placing something fantastic into the real world and making it look plausible. The trolls blended in and actually looked like a part of the environment. An environment that is also naturally beautiful. It was fantastic. If you haven’t seen this movie then you need to move it to the top of your queue. Five stars, easily.
L. E. White
Caged Bird
Every day that I go to work is hell. I see her and think of how beautiful she is. I wish I could talk to her and try to help her. I want to be with her, but that is against the rules.
She sits in her room, waiting on us to come in with the needles and the restraints. She hasn’t spoken to me in my three years except to scream threats when I have the syringe.
She seems so fragile. Nothing more than a hundred pounds of pain with sad amber eyes and long reddish-brown hair that would probably shine if she took care of it. She is in her early twenties and they say she will never be free again. “Too dangerous.”
I can’t believe that. How could anyone so pretty be that dangerous? She is nothing more than a caged bird. Unable to fly, forced to sit and look pretty with no hope of happiness.
Although it is a little unnerving to listen to her whispering the same four words over and over; a mantra delivered to the rhythm of a child’s rhyme.
“We will kill again.”
Review – Inhale by Kendall Grey
I entered into reading Inhale, the first in the Just Breath Trilogy by Kendall Grey with no clue about what I would be getting into. I knew the story was from the urban fantasy genre and that it had whales in it.
First, there is far more romance in this than what I would have selected on my own. I am a horrible judge of romance though so I will not comment on it. I just don’t always get it and yes, my wife will be happy to verify that for you if you have any questions.
I am disappointed to say that I didn’t really enjoy the book despite the fact that I don’t have anything bad to say about it. Not every story appeals to every reader and in this case I think the story and I are just a little too different to mesh well.
That being said I honestly can’t tell you why I didn’t get into it more. Grey is a gifted author with a fantastic and immersive style. I can specifically describe scenes from this story that are movie like in my mind. The characters are believable and written in a way that lets you get to know them quickly. I even remember feeling a little concern for one of them during an early encounter with a whale. I wondered if she was going to make it out of the water. I cared.
The fantasy portions of the story are really good. The use of a four elements system in relation to the quasi magical abilities of some portions of the story was a nice change of pace. It allowed a reader with knowledge of the occult to draw parallels to real world concepts that aren’t always there in other stories. The Realis/Dreamworld structure allows for fantastic events within the world in a plausible manner. This is a nice departure from so many other systems where the general population just doesn’t want to admit to what is going on.
I just don’t get it. I think that in my case, the romance hinders my enjoyment of the other elements that Kendall has done such a good job of presenting. So, if you have anything that resembles the normal emotional reactions of almost every other person in this world then I would suggest you give Inhale, book one in the Just Breathe trilogy and try. If you’re more like me you can go find someone who is enjoying it and club them over the head in frustration at not being able to share in their enjoyment of this excellent story.
L.E.White
Surprise My Dear
I have done all that I could to prepare for our special day. We have been so close for so long that it is really hard to believe that I will surprise you.
I have laid everything out just as you like it. The wine is breathing and the dinner is on the plates waiting to be served. I have the table set and I even have little dishes of Rocky Road ice cream on a tray in the freezer.
I have the toys lying on the bed as well. The things that I know will make you squeal and moan. Everything is ready except that you are not here.
As I sit and wait my mind plays naughty tricks on me. I think of you not coming home but instead going to some imaginary boyfriend. I think of you in the arms of another as my heart clenches. I think of you not being with me and a tear escapes.
But these are only the tricks of the mind. You disprove my fears by doing nothing more than parking your car in the garage. I jump up and banish the darkness that has settled in the house by lighting the candles as you remove your coat and hat and hang them on the hooks beside the door; a nightly ritual that declares to the world that you are indeed home.
You stop in surprise as you enter the dining room; slowly turning your head as you take in all the things that I have done. Your eyes, wide with amazement, finally fall on me where I am leaned against the wall. I see the surprise and wonder that you feel as you open your mouth and say three little words that I have been waiting so long to hear.
“Who are you?”
Happy Valentine’s Day My Dearest
I love you.
Happy Valentine’s Day
L. E. White
31 Flavors of Love
As one walked by his eyes followed her. Slender and naturally blonde, she walked with practiced ease on tall thin heels that clicked like the ticking of his old grandfather clock. Her head turned slightly to look around the bar as she made her way through the press of bodies. She was prowling, the definition of the urban cougar, and he could appreciate the way she quickly sized up both the competition and the prey.
February thirteenth was always an interesting day to go people watching and he was enjoying himself despite the impending deadline. Single men and women were here looking for short term solutions to spending Valentine’s Day alone and it made him smile as he watched the mating dance and plumage display that should have been in a documentary from PBS.
If this were a normal evening he would have went for the blonde. The little black dress that she had painted onto her body would have looked wonderful on his floor in the morning but tonight he had something specific in mind and she wasn’t it. He made a mental note to come back some other day before turning and beginning to weave his way through the mass of dancers.
When he found what he wanted she was leaned against a wall swirling a tall glass of electric blue inhibition remover to hide her nervousness from the boy she was talking to. The boy was leaned in close to be sure he was heard while uttering one stupid line after another in an attempt to convince her that she wasn’t going to be disappointed with his vain three minute attempt to offer her satisfaction for the evening.
When the boy turned to hail the waitress for more courage he leaned near the girl and said, “You are so out of his league.”
She turned to look at this new suitor and forgot the boy the moment she met his amber eyes. She was exactly what he was wanting this evening and now he just needed to collect her. As the boy turned back to resume his now failed hunt for companionship the tall man looked at him and said, “She isn’t interested anymore. Try the blonde in the little black dress by the bar.”
He guided her out by the elbow as the young man took his drink and headed off to be cougar bait. They were out of the bar and into his car before she realized that she had left her coat. As the cold air kissed her skin she shivered and said, “I need my coat.”
“Don’t worry; I plan to keep you warm.”
She giggled and thought of soft kisses and teasing touches as he drove her away from the city. She was aroused and impatient as he parked the car and led her through his home and into the basement. He removed her clothing and she felt surprised that she wasn’t self conscious about being naked in front of him. As thoughts slowly made their way through her mind she wondered just how drunk she was because she would have never taken her clothes off for a man whose name she didn’t know before. She was also sure that she would have never allowed him tie her hands to a rope hanging from the ceiling but that was just what she was now doing. Whatever had been in that drink had been worth every penny because she wasn’t afraid of what was to come but was instead sad at losing the opportunity to taste him when he slipped the gag into her mouth. Her world floated along on a hypnotic tide of unconcern as he stared into her eyes for another moment before he turned off the lights and left the room.
He came back in with his hands over the eyes of a tall woman with an unruly mane of brown hair. “Don’t peek.” He said as he removed his hands to reach back and turn on the lights.
“Now?”
He glanced around the room one last time before stepping up beside her, “Now.”
She looked around the room with her mouth slowly falling open. “What is all this?”
“What time is it my love?”
“Just after midnight.” She said.
“That’s right; just after midnight on the fourteenth or February.”
“These are all for me?” She almost bounced as she swept her eyes around the room again.
“Yes.”He said, “I realized that I couldn’t give you a box of chocolates so I decided to give you an assortment of sweets that I knew you would enjoy. I will love you forever my dearest.”
When the woman kissed him the girl shook her head and managed to clear some of the fog away. The room was filled with naked men and women of all races, ages and sizes. Each one was bound to the ceiling as she was, with a large red bow above their wrists.
“May I have one now?”
“Of course you can my love.” He said, stepping over beside the door so that he might watch her enjoy her gift. “It is Valentine’s Day after all.”
“Well don’t you look sweet?” She said as she stepped towards the girl. It was then that she opened her mouth to reveal the long sharp fangs that were slowly extending down from her gums.
Exclusive First Look — The Official Trailer for Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter | Entertainment | TIME.com
I didn’t know that this was even being considered for production. Like all trailers it looks cool so I will wait and see but the trailer does look pretty good.
Movie Review – The Lady in Black
So the wife and I decided it was time for a date night. First, we contacted our favorite babysitter to watch the little heathens; since our daughter has no choice but to watch her brothers that was the easy part. I bought tickets and we were both excited to go see a movie.
The film in question was The Lady in Black; a movie that I was happy to have seen for many reasons. This film is wonderfully done and does a great job of balancing between jump out and startle you horror and get into your head and leave you scared horror. There wasn’t any gore to speak of yet there was still an impressive body count. This movie was great and I would highly recommend that you watch it.
Just don’t watch it like we did, on opening night, in a theater full of teens.
Wow, I can’t really express how bad of an idea that was. When we got there the wife told me to go find seats while she soaked her popcorn in enough butter to clog the arteries of a whale. So I walked in and looked around. There were seats near the back middle so I headed there and actually managed to make a young woman jump and squeak by walking up behind her. Not that I was sneaking, rather she was just standing on the stairs talking with her friends and was oblivious to the tall man walking up behind her.
That should have been my warning; really, I should have went out and changed our ticket times right then.
So the movie starts and so does all of the stupid kiddie crap. The group behind us managed to start screwing around and fighting over a drink, then dropped the drink. This spilled the bucket of cola that the theater sells and caused a tidal wave of carbonation that actually hit my wife and got her arm wet. The moron beside us on my side was commenting on the movie to his girl and belching. The guys to the front corner of the wife were farting loudly enough to be heard. People were talking on cell phones and texting.
Believe it or not, there is still more. The worst thing after the coke was the general crowd. Think about this for a second. What do large groups of teenage girls do when they get scared by something?
I will give you a hint. It is a herd related impulse to diffuse fear through rationalization.
Yeah, they jump, squeal or squeak, giggle, and then TALK ABOUT IT.
So, at the best parts of the movie, when the tension had been built through the wonderful camera work and amazing lack of dialog, everything was diffused by the inane giggling and whispering of around fifty teenage girls.
Worst theater experience ever and one that will likely keep us from going to another theater for quite a while. It isn’t worth the cost to sit and not enjoy yourself.
The Woman in Black was wonderful and I do intend to watch this again. Radcliff offered a solid performance and I am happy to have watched it. I just wish I had watched it somewhere else. Next time I will be at home.
L. E. White
Special to Me
There is something to be said for the way I felt about her. I had spent so much time watching her and trying to come up with a viable way to approach her. We didn’t work together, we weren’t in the same department and I only knew her name from the sign on the wall. How then, was I supposed to approach her?
My fear was that she would think I was creepy. I didn’t want her to look at me with fear in her eyes while reaching for the desk phone to call security. The other problem was that I didn’t feel comfortable paying her a compliment. Just seeing her standing beside a cube made it clear how beautiful she was, but if she went to human resources with the words, “Sexual Harassment”, I would be fired for having done nothing more than tell her she looked nice.
What could I do?
She drives that little silver sedan. I park back a row so that I can watch her walk out of an evening. My shift starts before hers so I can’t walk in with her but I can sit and wait on her to come out. This way I get one last look at my angel before going home alone.
She is alone to. I followed her home and found out that she has an apartment on the north side of town. So we have more in common than I realized which is even better.
She doesn’t seem to date. I spend a lot of Friday and Saturday nights in this part of town now and I never see her out. I know I shouldn’t have done it but every now and then I have sat in the parking lot across the street and watched her car and door. She doesn’t have visitors so she isn’t dating. I have a chance if I can only find a way to approach her.
So I figure that since it is Valentine’s Day and I know I don’t want to spend it alone that she doesn’t want to either. So it is now or never. I went to the store and bought flowers and candy. I bought the wine that she likes. There are usually four bottles a week in her trash so I am sure that this is her favorite.
I followed her home from work and parked down the street. I watched and waited until seven to be sure that she didn’t have anyone coming over and that she didn’t leave. That was when I decided to make my move. I drove to her building and parked beside her in the guest spot that she never filled.
Deep calming breaths, one after another, as I attempted to keep from chickening out. I walked up and knocked on the door with my hands full.
I don’t know if she used the peep hole or not, but she opened the door with a confused look on her face as she said, “Can I help you?”
I almost chocked as I tried to swallow down my fear. “Hi,” I whispered.
“Hi.”
“Happy Valentine’s Day.” I said
“I recognize you.” She said, “We work together.”
“Yeah,”
She looked at me and the flowers. I could actually hear the leaves rustling from where I was shaking but I didn’t know if she caught that or not. “Would you like to come in?” She asked, stepping to the side.
I smiled and nodded as I entered, walking down the hall a little before stopping so that she could lead the way. “I brought wine.” I said as I handed the flowers and chocolate to her.
“I see that.” She said, “That’s my favorite kind.”
“I know, you usually drink about four bottles a week.” I replied as I turned to look around. The room looked different from the inside.
“What?” she asked, and that was where everything went wrong. She was mad at me and I was afraid of her saying that she was going to call the cops. I covered her mouth with my hand so that I could make her listen to me. If she knew how I felt everything would be alright. I tried to tell her but she was fighting and yelling. All I wanted was for her to listen.
She kept fighting and trying to scream.
I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want her mad at me; I just wanted her to listen.
I had one hand covering her mouth so that she would stop yelling at me and one arm wrapped around her, pinning her arms down so that she would stop hitting me. I just wanted her to listen but she was struggling and we fell.
She hasn’t woken up but the bleeding has stopped. It might not have been how I wanted this to happen but this is still the first Valentine’s Day I have ever spent with someone else. The gag will keep her from yelling at me and with her hands tied to the headboard she won’t be able to hit me. Now she will have to listen to how I feel. Once I tell her she will understand.
Everything will be alright.
Amazon: The First Door by Leonard White
Amazon.com: The First Door by Leonard White
My book is now available through Amazon and I am so excited.
I would consider breaking out in song and dance if it wasn’t for the fact that I have a terrible voice and no ability to dance. So I guess I will sit here in my chair and rock happily back and forth while people look at me and wonder why.
: )
Leonard
Forever
The Sirens Call
Links
An Opener's Closing by L. E. White 