As if mass casualties weren’t enough, 2020 just delivered another kick in the teeth. Chadwick Boseman, dead at 43 of colon cancer. His too-short career comprises much more than Black Panther, but for me, as a creator, a fan of the MCU and a comic book fan, his iconic role as T’Challah was so much more than the sum of its parts.
Hollywood underestimated the film’s saleability and impact, but Black Panther spoke to people. Wakanda is a utopian dream where everyone has dignity. Unlike the world we live in, powerful, intelligent women are not seen as a threat. Instead, they are respected. As many black people around the world have said, representation in a hugely successful franchise allowed them to feel seen for the first time.
Despite Wakanda’s monarchy, there is equality. This is best embodied in what could have been a throw-away scene in which Bruce Banner bows to the king. Chadwick Boseman delivers the line perfectly. “We don’t do that here.”
Imagine a world where someone holding power and authority asks anyone else not to bow. What a contrast to our current reality.
Wakanda forever.
Chadwick Boseman, Rest in Power.
Podcast Signal Boosts
I’m not selling a lot of books right now. People are otherwise engaged, whether they are marching in the streets or glued to their screens. I understand completely. Rather than flog my books about fictional apocalypses, it feels incumbent upon me to acknowledge the reality of the chaos. Like many others, I predicted this unrest. That gives me no solace. I worry for my American friends and readers. The images of violence against peaceful protesters leave me with nothing but hot outrage.
Mr. George Floyd was murdered. The officers who aided and abetted the policeman who knelt on his neck for eight minutes and forty-six seconds are still free. We saw it. No excuses. Police departments need reform. They need to know they’ll be held accountable for their actions. If you don’t believe that, please don’t read my books. You wouldn’t like them, anyway.
If you are politically minded (and perhaps especially if you are not) I recommend two podcasts to add to your listening queue: Worst Year Ever (above) and The Professional Left.
Too much? Need some stress relief?
Professional Left hosts Driftglass and Blue Gal are also huge fans of science fiction and have kindly mentioned my books on their show. If you’re a scifi fan who needs a break and a happy distraction, I also recommend their other very thoughtful and fun podcast, Science Fiction University. They discuss old-school science fiction. It’s a clever deep dive and a delight. Nerd out with Driftglass and Blue Gal over SF fiction and movies.
The Face of Victory
mybook.to/AllEmpiresFall
mybook.to/AllEmpiresFall
People are starving for food and equality across the United States. Jennifer Charles worked in a food bank and puts up posters to call people to demonstrate against her government’s ineptitude and callousness. Her defiance makes her a target.
Listen to this story now, read by the author.
The Face of Victory is a story about how revolutions begin. You’ll find it in my collection, All Empires Fall, Signals from the Apocalypse.
A reading of The Fortune Teller
Enjoy a reading from Murders Among Dead Trees
Take a little break from your day (8 mins, 36 seconds) with a reading of a suspenseful short story by Robert Chazz Chute.
First dates are hard. Sarah is about to discover her mistake when she steps into a carnival tent in the Twilight Zone. This is the realm of the fortune teller.
Why The Night Man?
There is something about a wounded warrior that is appealing in fiction. Anti-heroes who have dark pasts, who know disappointment and failure, are much more interesting to me than the uncomplicated square-jawed hero.
I relate more to failure than anyone who has it too easy. Batman’s billionaire life would fall apart if someone pulled off his mask just once. To me, Superman’s personal stakes aren’t high enough. Superman’s basically a god. Batman is a rich guy who spent years training his body and mind to be the world’s greatest detective (or a fairly psychotic badass, depending on which vintage of the comics you favor.)
We love a main character with a mysterious past
On my very first night away at university, I found myself in Frosh Week activities. It wasn’t my scene but that first night was special because we watched Casablanca. (No, I’m not that old. It was a retro movie night.) Fun fact: The movie’s original title was Everybody Comes to Rick’s.
There’s a great moment in that movie. Someone asks Rick how he came to find himself in Casablanca. Rick replies, “My health. I came for the waters.”
“The waters? What waters? We’re in the desert.”
“I was misinformed.”
Isn’t that a great bit of dialogue? And Bogart delivered the lines so laconically, it’s hilarious. My other favorite exchange is:
“You despise me, don’t you?”
“If I gave you any thought, I suppose I would,”
Ha!
Anyway, we find out about Rick’s romance in Paris in a flashback but he’s kind of a blank slate at first. He’s not going to tell you what you don’t need to know. He’s damaged and flawed but somewhere underneath all that baggage, there’s a person trying to do the right thing. That’s why I love Easy Jack in The Night Man.
Ernest “Easy” Jack has been estranged from his father and he’s a pariah in his home town of Orion, Michigan. On a medical discharge from the army, Easy really just wants to be left alone to train German Shepherds and recover. His eyes are sensitive to sunlight. He’s got a bum knee. He’s weary but when he comes home, he finds his war is not over. An ex-girlfriend in trouble shows up. His dad is a smuggler who gets mixed up with a dirty cop’s dirty business. Complications ensue.
Easy could walk away from trouble but trouble keeps finding him. The truth is, Easy can’t bring himself to walk away. Deep down, he’s not a bad guy but he has to deal with a lot of really bad guys. Dealing with evil on its own terms, you might end up doing things that are beyond the law. Easy doesn’t have a lot of money or resources. He’s got a lot of experience, some cleverness, and a German Shepherd. That’s all he brings to battle. Gotta love an underdog paired up with a dog named Sophie.
That’s why I love The Night Man. I hope you will, too.
You can pick it up in ebook and paperback on Amazon. Please do and if you dig it, please review it.
Click any of the links to the right or hit this universal Amazon link.
Enjoy!
~ RCC
Three adventures, one crazy low price.
For just 24 more hours you can pick up three killer crime thrillers for only 99 cents (plus get a sneak peek of Resurrection, A Hit Man Novel). The train is leaving the station. Jump on and hold on tight!
Click here to be taken to your Amazon store.
Facebook Live! Polar Vortex Edition
(Aired January 30, 2019.)
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