Randy Lindsay's Blog - Posts Tagged "apocalypse"
10 Best Movie Rentals on the Last Day
Okay, so I borrowed this from my blog, but I thought it would be a great way to start my blogging experience here on Goodreads. This is the ten best movie rentals on the last day.
Here are the Ten Best Movie Rentals for the Last Day.
10. It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
9. The Omega Man.
8. 2012. (Drink a toast for every year they were off.)
7. The Day After Tomorrow.
6. On the Beach (1959 Version).
5. History of the World: Part I.
4. Testament.
3. Wall-E.
2. Armageddon.
1. It’s a Wonderful Life. (Might as well go out on a high note.)
And just in case you like this sort of wackiness you can get more on my website. http://www.randylindsay.net/
Here are the Ten Best Movie Rentals for the Last Day.
10. It’s A Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
9. The Omega Man.
8. 2012. (Drink a toast for every year they were off.)
7. The Day After Tomorrow.
6. On the Beach (1959 Version).
5. History of the World: Part I.
4. Testament.
3. Wall-E.
2. Armageddon.
1. It’s a Wonderful Life. (Might as well go out on a high note.)
And just in case you like this sort of wackiness you can get more on my website. http://www.randylindsay.net/
Becky Williams Interview
Since Sunday was Mother’s Day I felt it appropriate to interview Becky Williams. Not only is she a viewpoint character in The Gathering, she is the mother of six children: Robert, Sarah, Lucas, Jesse (twin 1), Elizabeth (twin 2), and Cody.
Q1: What is the best thing about the Apocalypse?
A1: Really? Does your mother know you ask silly questions like that? If I had to pick one positive element out of this horrible situation it would be that it forces you to think about what is truly important in life. Everything else gets cast aside.
Q2: Several readers have mentioned that you are some sort of Super-Mom; strong, selfless, and highly spiritual. Are you too good to be real?
A2: Of course not. I think the novel just happen to capture me at my finer moments. What the readers didn’t get to see where the times when I broke down and cried over some minor problem because I was having a bad day. I mean, in a book about the apocalypse who wants to see me dealing with bickering kids, a dirty house, and a migraine?
Q3: You and Sarah look a lot alike. Does anyone ever get the two of you confused?
A3: * Do you mean other than you? Yes, it happens all the time. Sarah is the child that is most like me. She is very strong-willed and definitely her own person. That can be good if you are pointed in the right direction because you allow yourself to be sidetracked. But it makes it difficult to change your life around if you’re headed the wrong way.
* I swapped the names for Becky and Sarah when my beta readers mentioned that Becky worked better as a name for an adult woman.
Q4: Now the big question. Which of the kids is your favorite?
A4: I bet you’re expecting me to say “all of them” and I do, but that’s not my answer. It really depends on the individual day. When I got letters from Robert while he was on his mission then Robert was my favorite. Two weeks ago the twins stopped bickering long enough to arrange a date night for John and myself. On that day—no, for that week—they jointly held the top spot in my heart. Each of my children has their moment in the sun where they shine ever so brightly. When they do my joy in them is truly full.
If you have any questions for Becky that you’d like answered just go ahead and post them in the comments section and I will make sure she gets to them as soon as her busy schedule allows.
Q1: What is the best thing about the Apocalypse?
A1: Really? Does your mother know you ask silly questions like that? If I had to pick one positive element out of this horrible situation it would be that it forces you to think about what is truly important in life. Everything else gets cast aside.
Q2: Several readers have mentioned that you are some sort of Super-Mom; strong, selfless, and highly spiritual. Are you too good to be real?
A2: Of course not. I think the novel just happen to capture me at my finer moments. What the readers didn’t get to see where the times when I broke down and cried over some minor problem because I was having a bad day. I mean, in a book about the apocalypse who wants to see me dealing with bickering kids, a dirty house, and a migraine?
Q3: You and Sarah look a lot alike. Does anyone ever get the two of you confused?
A3: * Do you mean other than you? Yes, it happens all the time. Sarah is the child that is most like me. She is very strong-willed and definitely her own person. That can be good if you are pointed in the right direction because you allow yourself to be sidetracked. But it makes it difficult to change your life around if you’re headed the wrong way.
* I swapped the names for Becky and Sarah when my beta readers mentioned that Becky worked better as a name for an adult woman.
Q4: Now the big question. Which of the kids is your favorite?
A4: I bet you’re expecting me to say “all of them” and I do, but that’s not my answer. It really depends on the individual day. When I got letters from Robert while he was on his mission then Robert was my favorite. Two weeks ago the twins stopped bickering long enough to arrange a date night for John and myself. On that day—no, for that week—they jointly held the top spot in my heart. Each of my children has their moment in the sun where they shine ever so brightly. When they do my joy in them is truly full.
If you have any questions for Becky that you’d like answered just go ahead and post them in the comments section and I will make sure she gets to them as soon as her busy schedule allows.
Apocalyptic Influences
Apocalyptic stories have been my favorite genre of fiction since I was old enough to go to the library and check out books on my own. What attracted me to them is they started off in the world I knew and then took off in fantastic directions. Apocalyptic stories took our mundane world and turned it into a broken land filled with mutants and strange cultures which had risen out of the ashes of civilization.
I still love apocalyptic tales, but as an adult I tend to focus on the creativity in which the author takes an element of our society and pushes it until it breaks. For me it’s all about the transformation now. Here are a couple of the stories that influenced my writing.
THE WHITE MOUNTAINS by John Christopher.
This is book one in the Tripod series and the first apocalyptic story that I read as a youth. In the story, Earth has long been enslaved by an alien race known as the Tripods. The Tripods control the population by “capping” children when they turn 14. The protagonist, Will Parker, decides that he doesn’t want to have his personality subdued by the capping and runs away. The story is a classic and instantly hooked me on apocalyptic tales.
Lesson learned: Apocalyptic stories are really cool.
DAMNATION ALLEY by Roger Zelazny
After my first taste of post-apocalyptic stories, it didn’t take me long to snag Damnation Alley. The story was like night to day compared with the Tripod series. Christopher’s tale had a quaint, rural feel to it and in many ways extolled the virtues of humanity. Zelazny took a different route and made his protagonist the last of the Hell’s Angels and allowed the author to deliver a large dose of disdain for war and humanity’s destruction of the environment. I have read this book more times than any other fictional tale. Jan-Michael Vincent starred in the movie version of the story which failed to do the story justice. With super cool armored-vehicles, giant Gila monsters, and biker gangs roaming the countryside unchecked it remains my favorite post-apocalypse story.
Lesson learned: Social outcasts make great protagonist if your goal is to point out the uncivilized qualities of society.
THE POSTMAN by David Brin
Of all the apocalyptic books that I’ve read I found The Postman the most realistic. Brin’s tale is the closest in style and substance to my apocalyptic novel, Call to Arms: Nations Fall. The protagonist in The Postman is just an average person trying to survive the apocalypse. He stumbles across a mail truck and is forced clothe himself in the long-dead postman’s uniform. I love this story because it focuses on putting society back together after the disaster.
Lesson learned: Stories about putting society back together can be just as entertaining as the ones about tearing the world apart.
PLANET OF THE APES with Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, and Kim Hunter.
This is the best of the down-with-the-man science fiction films of the late 60s and early 70s. Charlton Heston starred in the three most memorable efforts of this era. At the heart of the film is the sentiment that mankind is foolish and will ultimately destroy not only themselves, but the planet as well. I love the ending, which came as a powerful surprise to me. It remains, in my opinion, one of the best endings of all time. Placing mankind in the role of animals made a powerful statement and the onscreen kiss between Heston and the ape-clad Hunter caused quite a stir among the audiences.
Lessons learned: 1) Reverse humanity’s role for a new perspective on a subject. 2) If you want people to remember your story then have a memorable ending.
MAD MAX with Mel Gibson
I’ve seen Mad Max over 50 times. (Because it happened to be at the theater I managed the year the movie was released in the U.S.) The original film had abysmal acting, but gained a large number of fans. I credit its popularity to the sense of connection we all have to rush hour road rage. Just kidding. The concept was original and allowed it to survive the poor production elements of the film. At the center of this story we have a simple struggle over limited resources.
Lesson learned: Cool cars and leather jackets make this film work. Style has an important place in storytelling.
Let me wrap this up with a list of a few more apocalyptic stories and the lessons I learned from them.
The Blood of Heroes – Any genre (sports movies) can be given an apocalyptic facelift.
I Am Legend – Sometimes the protagonist turns out to be the monster.
Escape From New York – Think outside the box. Manhattan as a prison is genius.
I still love apocalyptic tales, but as an adult I tend to focus on the creativity in which the author takes an element of our society and pushes it until it breaks. For me it’s all about the transformation now. Here are a couple of the stories that influenced my writing.
THE WHITE MOUNTAINS by John Christopher.
This is book one in the Tripod series and the first apocalyptic story that I read as a youth. In the story, Earth has long been enslaved by an alien race known as the Tripods. The Tripods control the population by “capping” children when they turn 14. The protagonist, Will Parker, decides that he doesn’t want to have his personality subdued by the capping and runs away. The story is a classic and instantly hooked me on apocalyptic tales.
Lesson learned: Apocalyptic stories are really cool.
DAMNATION ALLEY by Roger Zelazny
After my first taste of post-apocalyptic stories, it didn’t take me long to snag Damnation Alley. The story was like night to day compared with the Tripod series. Christopher’s tale had a quaint, rural feel to it and in many ways extolled the virtues of humanity. Zelazny took a different route and made his protagonist the last of the Hell’s Angels and allowed the author to deliver a large dose of disdain for war and humanity’s destruction of the environment. I have read this book more times than any other fictional tale. Jan-Michael Vincent starred in the movie version of the story which failed to do the story justice. With super cool armored-vehicles, giant Gila monsters, and biker gangs roaming the countryside unchecked it remains my favorite post-apocalypse story.
Lesson learned: Social outcasts make great protagonist if your goal is to point out the uncivilized qualities of society.
THE POSTMAN by David Brin
Of all the apocalyptic books that I’ve read I found The Postman the most realistic. Brin’s tale is the closest in style and substance to my apocalyptic novel, Call to Arms: Nations Fall. The protagonist in The Postman is just an average person trying to survive the apocalypse. He stumbles across a mail truck and is forced clothe himself in the long-dead postman’s uniform. I love this story because it focuses on putting society back together after the disaster.
Lesson learned: Stories about putting society back together can be just as entertaining as the ones about tearing the world apart.
PLANET OF THE APES with Charlton Heston, Roddy McDowall, and Kim Hunter.
This is the best of the down-with-the-man science fiction films of the late 60s and early 70s. Charlton Heston starred in the three most memorable efforts of this era. At the heart of the film is the sentiment that mankind is foolish and will ultimately destroy not only themselves, but the planet as well. I love the ending, which came as a powerful surprise to me. It remains, in my opinion, one of the best endings of all time. Placing mankind in the role of animals made a powerful statement and the onscreen kiss between Heston and the ape-clad Hunter caused quite a stir among the audiences.
Lessons learned: 1) Reverse humanity’s role for a new perspective on a subject. 2) If you want people to remember your story then have a memorable ending.
MAD MAX with Mel Gibson
I’ve seen Mad Max over 50 times. (Because it happened to be at the theater I managed the year the movie was released in the U.S.) The original film had abysmal acting, but gained a large number of fans. I credit its popularity to the sense of connection we all have to rush hour road rage. Just kidding. The concept was original and allowed it to survive the poor production elements of the film. At the center of this story we have a simple struggle over limited resources.
Lesson learned: Cool cars and leather jackets make this film work. Style has an important place in storytelling.
Let me wrap this up with a list of a few more apocalyptic stories and the lessons I learned from them.
The Blood of Heroes – Any genre (sports movies) can be given an apocalyptic facelift.
I Am Legend – Sometimes the protagonist turns out to be the monster.
Escape From New York – Think outside the box. Manhattan as a prison is genius.
Top Ten Resolutions of the Apocalypse
It’s the end of another year and time for the tradition of setting a whole new batch of resolutions that will most likely be forgotten in another two weeks. Have you ever wonder what sort of resolutions you would make once you were in the middle of the apocalypse? I guarantee they would vary a great deal from the ones you currently are planning for the upcoming year. Here’s my stab at a list of the ten best resolutions for the apocalypse.
10. Cancel my cable subscription.
9. Learn how to cook over a campfire.
8. Convince myself that my clothes aren’t dirty—they just conform to the currently popular back-to-nature fad.
7. Practice movie lines that intimidated bullies.
6. Learn to like hot summers and cold winters.
5. Make a list of acceptable substitutions for toilet paper.
4. Expand my portable entertainment library from a single book to two.
3. Make friends with a big, powerful, and benevolent warlord.
2. Write down all the survival tips from when I played Fallout.
1. Improve my personal relationship with God.
10. Cancel my cable subscription.
9. Learn how to cook over a campfire.
8. Convince myself that my clothes aren’t dirty—they just conform to the currently popular back-to-nature fad.
7. Practice movie lines that intimidated bullies.
6. Learn to like hot summers and cold winters.
5. Make a list of acceptable substitutions for toilet paper.
4. Expand my portable entertainment library from a single book to two.
3. Make friends with a big, powerful, and benevolent warlord.
2. Write down all the survival tips from when I played Fallout.
1. Improve my personal relationship with God.
Top Ten Songs of the Apocalypse
Top ten lists are great. If you’re really creative there’s no end to the number of lists you can develop on any given subject. Today’s list should serve as a good example of that—top ten songs of the apocalypse.
(Bonus Song: Waiting For the End by Linkin Park)
10. We Will Become Silhouettes by The Postal Service
9. Party at Ground Zero by Fishbone
8. Red Skies by The Fixx
7. London Calling by The Clash
6. Ninety-Nine Red Balloons by Nena
5. We Don’t Need Another Hero by Tina Turner
4. 1999 by Prince
3. So Long Mom (I’m Off to Drop the Bomb) by Tom Lehrer
2. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
1. It’s the End of the World by R.E.M
(Bonus Song: Waiting For the End by Linkin Park)
10. We Will Become Silhouettes by The Postal Service
9. Party at Ground Zero by Fishbone
8. Red Skies by The Fixx
7. London Calling by The Clash
6. Ninety-Nine Red Balloons by Nena
5. We Don’t Need Another Hero by Tina Turner
4. 1999 by Prince
3. So Long Mom (I’m Off to Drop the Bomb) by Tom Lehrer
2. Radioactive by Imagine Dragons
1. It’s the End of the World by R.E.M
Congrats
My latest book giveaway just completed and I wanted to congratulate the winner - Mike. When you finish the book, I invite you to send me an e-mail or post a message here and let me know what you thought about The Gathering: End's Beginning.
I want to thank everyone else who participated in the event. This was my most successful giveaway yet in terms of the number of people who showed interest in my book. In fact, I was so pleased with the level of participation I plan to do another giveaway soon. And with that in mind, I have a question for all of you. There are currently two books in the series (I'm working on the third now). Which would you prefer me to give away; the first in the series, The Gathering: End's Beginning, or the second, Call to Arms: Nations Fall?
I want to thank everyone else who participated in the event. This was my most successful giveaway yet in terms of the number of people who showed interest in my book. In fact, I was so pleased with the level of participation I plan to do another giveaway soon. And with that in mind, I have a question for all of you. There are currently two books in the series (I'm working on the third now). Which would you prefer me to give away; the first in the series, The Gathering: End's Beginning, or the second, Call to Arms: Nations Fall?
Does Fiction Mirror Reality?
My latest novel in The Gathering series is in the process of being formatted for publication. The series deals with the apocalypse and this story in particular covers the fall of the United States. Taking a look at the political scene today, I wonder if this is something that could really happen.
In my story the United States is invaded on three sides by Russia, China, and a South American coalition. The current political climate doesn't seem to support that particular scenario, but that could change at any time. Still we have plenty of problems that have the potential to escalate into a world-wide engagement. North Korea takes top spot for likely war-starters, but the Middle East is always a source for potential unrest.
Nations with a bone to pick with the United States might well decide a war with North Korea is the best chance they will have to attack us. Although unlikely, this scenario gives me plenty to think about when I read the latest world news.
The political tension in The Devastation: America Crumbles strikes eerily close to reality. Both political parties vilify the other and seem unable to put aside their difference in order to work together to solve America's problems. Issues such as immigration, taxes, and even whether football players should stand during the national anthem all paint a picture of a fractured America. And not only an image of a divided nation, but one where the citizens choose all too often to act out their frustrations with acts of mass terror.
While The Devastation has not correctly forecast any specific event, it seems to have captured the mood and nature of our current world situation. If you happen to read the story, let me know how close you think I came to predicting the future with my fiction.
In my story the United States is invaded on three sides by Russia, China, and a South American coalition. The current political climate doesn't seem to support that particular scenario, but that could change at any time. Still we have plenty of problems that have the potential to escalate into a world-wide engagement. North Korea takes top spot for likely war-starters, but the Middle East is always a source for potential unrest.
Nations with a bone to pick with the United States might well decide a war with North Korea is the best chance they will have to attack us. Although unlikely, this scenario gives me plenty to think about when I read the latest world news.
The political tension in The Devastation: America Crumbles strikes eerily close to reality. Both political parties vilify the other and seem unable to put aside their difference in order to work together to solve America's problems. Issues such as immigration, taxes, and even whether football players should stand during the national anthem all paint a picture of a fractured America. And not only an image of a divided nation, but one where the citizens choose all too often to act out their frustrations with acts of mass terror.
While The Devastation has not correctly forecast any specific event, it seems to have captured the mood and nature of our current world situation. If you happen to read the story, let me know how close you think I came to predicting the future with my fiction.
