Where do we go from here?

I normally don’t write these things down. I have an idea in my head and I do my best to move towards it the way I know about going. I keep asking myself a question with goal five and I thought let’s talk about things rationally here.

Goals one through four are writing and media goals. I’m hoping to have some announcements regarding a huge number of projects in the months to come. I plan on attending several cons and plan on growing as an artist and a person. Blah blah blah right? The last goal is a conundrum I feel I need to talk about.

Calgary has been great to me. Since I’ve come back I find myself making more money than I ever have, able to pursue my projects and by and large am working to get to all of my dreams. I’m surrounded by good people. Yet, I find myself hitting the ceiling. This year after working on several goals, I find myself facing down the very real possibility that the following year after that, that there will be no new ground for me to explore. The ceiling as I know it is creeping up on me.

I’ve never been completely comfortable in the city. This time has been far more enjoyable, but I find myself still quite unwilling to call this place my home. Because I realized that I can only go so much farther before the ceiling and me meet head on. Something’s gotta give.

What held me back is a clear lack of clarity of where to go next. That no longer is a barrier. I already know where I want to go. After the documentary (Goal Number 2!) I intend to move forward with exploring that possibility.

So the question I’m asking myself as I type this is why am I moving so much? The only answer I can think of is that as I get closer to my goals, things need to change. That means looking at other locations. I’ve been fortunate not needing to move for the last little while. Yet my goals beckon and I find that Calgary no longer quite has what I’m looking for.

So where do I go from here?

I’m going to keep that to myself for now. June is going to be interesting. That is all I can say about that.

Nemesis returns with the next entry. I also have a great interview lined up.

JP

Kickstarter

I haven’t been as religious about updating this blog as much as I should have been. It’s been a busy month preparing for the forthcoming weeks. Not that I have been just planning for the future, I’ve done some cool stuff this last few months. On All Pulp I’ve done some amazing interviews. Martheus Wade and me talk about Ninjas, fate and free will here. I also do an interview with perhaps my newest favorite novelist here. Chuck is an amazing read. I’ll be reviewing Black Centipede shortly for All Pulp. Finally I did a small review of Lord of Jungle for the site as well. My favorite thing about this particular one? Honestly, the link. It’s awesome.

At Comicbloc I’ve only managed one column so far. You can read about my favorite celebrity comic books on this linkright here. I do contribute a little bit to sunday reading which isn’t too bad. This week I will be releasing an interview and a column for the bloc and hopefully something else at Allpulp as well. I can live with the production so far, but I want to do more.

This seem like a good place to segue into the future. Let’s begin with something I did way way back in the past. Unscrewed is an Anthology whose proceeds will go to creators cheated by the nefarious Rick Olney. His history can be found with a simple google search. I won’t waste the time here to discuss him. Frankly, I’m honored to just be part of it. With names like Kurt Busiek involved, I’m just happy to have such a small part in. Look for it later this year.

In May I will be doing my first film documentary. I’m really really excited about this and I’ve already confirmed six people that are going to be part of it. The documentary is about the comic convention experience. Phoenix was my first con and honestly there are some incredible people down there. I am hoping to give viewers a glimpse of what it is like to be part of that particular convention. More on this in the next few months.

But this post is entitled kickstarter for a reason. I just submitted the form for Kickstarter. Anomaly, a story very near and dear to my heart is going to be attempted to be funded there. I really hope it happens as I have plans for the book. The good news is that it’s just about done. The story is written, and even though we don’t have full permission yet, filming has already commenced for the project. The commercial appears to be very entertaining so far. I’ve heard laughter at some of the footage presented so far into it. I also want to thank right now James Julin and Caleigh Cassidy for being involved in the filming.

Check out this blog and http://www.just-lance.com for more details in the weeks to come. Also, I launched channel michaelthroughtime1 on Youtube for a reason….

Stay tuned. More is coming very shortly.

Nemesis Daring Escape Chapter 2

“Another one? Crimey, she seems to like you snake types don’t she?” May blubbered.

“It’s the end!”  The Thing was weeping openly.

“The end?”  May asked.

“The end!  We’re doomed!  She’s going to forget about us!”

“Don’t talk crazy talk there.  She’ll still love us.”

“But, but, but…”

“But what?”

“That’s another pet?  How many pets can she love y’know?”

“You have me there,” May admitted.  “Never thought of it to be quite honest with you.”

After a moment of complete silence, tears started flowing from the lizard’s faces.  May and the Thing held each other and wept.  Nemesis and Raven could only stare in stunned surprise.

“Thank goodness we don’t have arms to hug each other,” Raven said.

“Those two are unbelievable,” Nemesis now understood why those silly humans sometimes shook their heads.  Watching those two act the way they do took some getting used to.    Still, something bothered Nemesis.  He couldn’t quite identify the problem but there was this nagging concern.  Nemesis didn’t like this feeling – it was the first time he ever felt it.

How many pets could the owner keep?  How much love could one person have?  The question was disturbing.

Would she forget him?  Raven?  Even the Thing and May?

No.  She couldn’t.  Could she?

Nemesis didn’t like this thing called doubt.  It was a very human concept.  He should dismiss the whole idea as absurd.  Yes.  That’s exactly what he was going to do.  Let the humans feel those silly human emotions.  Nemesis was better than human – he was a snake.  How could he possibly be forgotten?

That infernal device buzzed and interrupted Nemesis’ thoughts again.  Nemesis decided at that moment to do something about that thing.  It interrupted his deep questions of life far too often for his liking.  It had to go.

The owner was talking to it again.  Bother.  He had to wait another time for the moment.

“I’m not sure what I want you know?  Another corn snake?  Or maybe something exotic?  You know where I could get my hands on maybe a python?”

Nemesis looked at her with the most pleading baby snake eyes he could.  She always doted on him when he did this.  It was a magic trick that gave him all the mice a snake could eat.  It was just a matter of time now.

Any moment and she’d look right him.  Like always.  Nemesis waited.

She kept talking and walked right by him and went out the door.  Nemesis couldn’t believe it.  It always worked before.  What had gone wrong?

Those doubts came creeping back inside him a hundred fold.  This wouldn’t do at all.  Something had to change.  Nemesis spent the next little while planning and thinking. Doubt. It wouldn’t go away. Not one bit.

Nemesis’ Great Escape by Joshua Pantalleresco is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

Arnold Henry – Renaissance Man

I’m not exaggerating when I say Renaissance Man.  Arnold Henry does it all.  An overachiever since high school, Henry was the first man from Saint Lucia to be drafted as a freshman into the NCAA Division I for basketball.  A talented athlete, it would have been very easy for Henry to rest on his gifts, but his drive and determination have allowed him to recieve a degree in Computer Information Systems and he continues to chase his dreams in writing, speaking, and acting.  He published his first book Hanging On To My Dreams, his autobiography about his trials and tribulations from childhood all the way to the college basketball court.   It’s easily the best autobiography I’ve ever read.

I had a chance to talk to Henry a little bit about basketball, his writing, and how he still chases his dreams at this time.  If you look at the left hand side, you can link up to his page.

Joshua Pantalleresco:  What is it about basketball that you enjoy the most?

Arnold Henry:  For me, basketball is like the person or thing you turn to when you seek excitement or entertainment. I believe that it is the most engaging sport in the world as far as the fan’s involvement and reaction to every single second of the game. It goes beyond just a game; it builds brotherhood and a family among the coaches, players, staff and supporters. With basketball, there’s always room for skills improvement that can lead to better opportunities that can be life changing; such as full college sports scholarship or a career as a professional athlete.

JP: Do you wish you had done more track and field?

AH:  I never regret the paths I chose in my life. Basketball handed me a once in a lifetime break which is rare being born and raised in Saint Lucia. If I was offered a track and field scholarship before a basketball scholarship, then I would probably writing about my track and field career. In other words, when there’s an opportunity, I like to take my chances. And if it doesn’t work out, then that’s a life lesson to be shared with myself and others.

JP:  What were some of the obstacles and challenges that you had to adapt to coming to the states?

AH:  For the most part, I had to assimilate into the American habits; that is, at the very early stages of my arrival, the most difficult situations were conversing with the Americans—coming from an island with a heavy Caribbean accent had triggered communication barriers. And these moments became annoying to a point where I’d received insults by the way I spoke. Also, I had to familiarize myself with racism which goes into more details in my book. One of the most challenging moments was my episodes of being homesick. Of all five schools I’d attended, there were no family members in sight—which meant I had to be spending lonesome holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, etc. There were many times when I felt like I needed to see or hear from my mother, or visit Saint Lucia. On the other hand, I had to adjust myself to playing an American organized basketball system—a territory I wasn’t used to.

JP:  Why did you turn to writing?

AH:  My writing habits started at a very early age—at 10 years old. I grew up in a broken home, or rather, a broken family; I felt lonely, unwanted and unloved. Turning to writing was sort of expressing my feelings without anyone being judgmental, or you know that best friend you tell all your deepest secrets knowing that they won’t tell anyone? I’ve been keep journals ever since and it has been a great self-therapy for my depression phases.

JP:  What is your sequel going to cover?

AH: My sequel is still a work in progress. It is going to cover topics such as: never having the courage to confront my biological father about his absence in my life; Dealing with his recent death through cancer; Disowning my youngest sibling; Finding a 34-year old sister from Barbados who I never knew existed; finding love in and my move to Canada; And letting go or still hanging on to my dreams.

JP:  Your bio says you still want to play basketball in Europe. Is this still a goal?

AH: Hanging On To My Dreams isn’t just the title of my book, but it is my lifestyle, though I’ve given myself at least two more years to make this dream come true. Otherwise, I’ll have to fall back on my college degree.

JP:  What team would you like to play for in a perfect world?

AH:  In a perfect world, I like to believe that I would be playing for a team in the NBA, preferably, the Miami Heat. Today, one of my favourite teams to support and they just happened to be located in a sunshine state (warm climate). Lebron James and Dwayne Wade, who wouldn’t want these incredible athletes as teammates?

JP:  What are you working on right now?

AH:  Apart from working out at the gym 4-6 hours a day, after I am finished with my second autobiography, I plan on stepping out of my genre to venture into a fantasy world and also expressing my feelings through poetry.

JP: 4-6 hours in a gym?  Can you describe your workout routine?

AH: Four hours on a lazy day; six hours on a day when I have the energy. I usually start off my work outs by shooting some hoops, basically working on my fundamentals such as dribbling, post moves, shooting drills, defensive footwork, etc. Then I will work on my cardio: One mile runs, running stairs, cycling or biking and jump rope. Followed by an intense upper body or lower body weightlifting session. And lastly core exercises to strength my abs and lower back. Don’t forget to stretch your muscles before and after every workout. That’s typically my workout routine which someday will hopefully prepare me for the opportunities of a professional basketball contract.

JP:  Tell me a fun story from your childhood not in your book.

AH:  To tell you the truth, every fun, memorable childhood moment has been described in my book. There wasn’t too many cheerful episodes because I lived depressing youthful years. At an early age, I was already trying to figure out life…my life. There were many questions I needed answers for. To distract my thoughts, I was on an adventure to chase success—you can say that was the fun story in my childhood—to wake up everyday, go to school and practice, workout on my game.
JP:  Besides Basketball and writing, are there any other dreams you are still chasing?

AH:  I’m always dreaming…dreaming big! Besides wanting to live the rest of my life comfortably with God’s guidance, I really want to see my book turn into a Hollywood film. My book, Hanging On To My Dreams, has been transformed into a screenplay by Karen Mueller Bryson (http://www.ahorsewithnoname.com/). And it would be great if I was to play myself in the movie.
JP:  What is your attraction to fantasy fiction in particular?  Does any author inspire you in that field?

AH: My whole thing with fantasy fiction is that, I want to venture out of non-fiction to be able to create my own worlds, characters and plots while exploring my own uniqueness and creativity. There’s an idea for a great fantasy fiction that has been floating around in my mind. When I am finished with my second book, I will inscribe that idea on paper. As far as fantasy authors who’ve inspired me, well I am not a big reader in that field so I wouldn’t be able to relate; though, I’m planning to start reading with that genre of writing. Any suggestions?

JP:  And finally, what kind of poetry do you write?  Could you give a sample?

AH:  I have to be honest: for me, poetry is a way for me to exercise my mind. I write poetry to express my current mood and feelings. You’d have to catch me at the right moment to give a sample but whenever I write a poem, I try to share it with the world by uploading it here: http://www.arnoldhenry.com/poems.html

I thank Arnold for his patience and his candor.  Check out Hanging On to My Dreams and visit Arnold Henry’s site at http://www.arnoldhenry.com.  Arnold is an inspiration for anyone to follow.  Buy his book on his site.

We now return to regularly scheduled programming

Sorry for the delay between posts.  I’ve been busy working on Anomaly and playing Persona 4 entirely too much.  I’m past 60000 words and am going to get this baby polished and ready to start playing the lottery that is the publishing biz.  It’s time I got recognized for how good I really am.  That may sound really overconfident to some people, but the truth is, if I didn’t think I was any good, there would be no need to read anything.  So I’m going to say I’m good…most of the time.

Work on a comic project is going well.  I’ve been very fortunate with the people I’m working with.  Tash O’Toole is killing it right now on the project.  My only little bit of sadness is that I’m no longer going to be working with Nicki Andrews.  Even she though impressed me by recommending a very talented gentleman to replace her.  Still, there was something cool about working with three ladies in three continents.  I hope I get the chance to work with Nicki on something up the road.

I sent a pitch for a film project last night.  Fingers crossed.  I think this could be a lot of fun.  But it’s not up to me if I can do it, but if I can…well…stay tuned.

I did a column for Comicbloc last week called All In.  You can read it here.

Finally, I connected facebook to my twitter thingee.  So I hope to be more involved on the twitting thing.  Twitting.  Can’t believe I said that.

I can’t say this will be the last time I disappear, but hopefully it won’t be quite so long.   Stay tuned for more chapters of Nemesis’ Great Escape, a great interview an a few more things to come in the not too distant future.

Trafford Road

I’m not going to comment much.  I worked on this in a small way with the folks at Dalmation Coast.  We made this movie in 48 hours.  It was a great learning experience and it’s something that I’m proud to have done.

One more thing: This won’t be the last video on the site.  I guarantee it.

JP

Around The Web, October 27th, 2011

Every thursday, from here on in, I will write about what I’ve done at other websites or even some writing news as things happen.  This week is short and sweet.

I wrote a column for Comicbloc.  You can read my column here.  In it, I talk about the importance of branding.  Personally I wish I had written it in not quite such a rush, but it’s good to get back into the habit.  I’ll have more news next week.

Friday and Saturday Nemesis will make his return.  Promise.  I will have a more regular schedule for the story next week.

JP

Chasing Dreams with Jo-Anne Sieppert

Before we begin, here’s a trailer for you to watch.

Welcome back.

I first saw this book at the Calgary Comic Entertainment Expo when I met Jo-Anne and her kids. Jo Anne seemed very friendly, and her kids were awesome. We managed to keep in touch and with the release of Aberrant, I asked Jo-Anne if she wanted to be interviewed. She agreed. I talk to Jo-Anne about her books, her influences, covers and ADHD.

Joshua Pantalleresco: Why did you become an author? Who influenced you?

Jo-Anne Sieppert: My head has always been full of stories, I felt like if I didn’t get them out my head would explode. Once I started writing, there was no way to stop. My biggest influences are, William Shakespeare, JK Rowling, Stephen King and Stephanie Myers.

JP: Which Shakespeare stuff in particular? I was always partial to Shakespeare’s tragedies. And I just love The Tempest. What are you favorites with him?

JS: It’s the tragedies for me also. Romeo and Juliet is my favorite.

JP: What are you writing right now?

JS: Right now I am writing the second book in the Aberrant series, while editing the third in the Nytstars series, and writing the fourth Nytstars.

JP: I just did my first workshop with you. You say the characters come up to you and talk to you when you’re writing. That’s intriguing. Can you explain your general process with writing?

JS: I mostly write a night, I like the darkness and total quiet. I just open my mac and start writing. No plan, no outline, nothing. I write my stories the same way as reading them, one word at a time, it’s just as exciting to see it come together.

JP: You use no plan or outline. Wow. What about the ending? Does there get a point when you have an idea where the story goes? Or do not find out until the very end?

JS: Usually I find out the ending at the end as I write it. However, I do already know how the final Nytstars will end. That one came to me halfway through writing the second book.

JP: That’s a pretty cool way to come up with something like Nytstars. So are you writing those books in particular for your kids?

JS: Nytstars is definitely for my kids, and all kids really, anyone that has had nightmares.

JP: In Nytstars, are Tyler and Michael in any way inspired by your kids?

JS: The characters, Michael and Tyler are 100% inspired by my two sons, Michael and Tyler. Tyler was the main inspiration for Nytstars, he suffered from terrible nightmares since he was very young. He would tell me what he was afraid of and I would tell him a story of him defeating his fear. Eventually I started writing the stories down, and Nytstars took off from there.

JP: When is Nytstars book 2 coming out?

JS: I’m not too sure to be honest. I am going to re-release the first one, (next year) so the second will come out 9-12 month’s after that.

JP: Okay. we talked about Nytstars a bit here, now tell me a little bit about Aberrant.

JS: Aberrant came to me when Houseboating in the Shuswap. I am not a camping, rough-in it type of girl, at all!!! But it was such a beautiful place. I was sitting on the sun deck watching the sun set on our first night on the boat. The idea came to me and just started writing, the next thing I knew, I was watching the sun rise, and Aberrant was born.

JP: You told me where Aberrant comes from. Now tell me what it’s about.

JS: Aberrant is a modern day Stephen King’s Carrie, with a Twilight twist. Not Vampires, though. Delilah is a young girl who gets bullied. She seeks refuge on an island that the small town she lives in surrounds. On the island she meets Jack. When the bullies kill Delilah, Jack brings her back. Not to life per say, just back. Jack is Aberrant – think Vampires without the blood. Now Delilah wants her revenge on the bullies.

JP: Why are all your teachers evil? I’ve noticed that trend in your work so far.

JS: I didn’t have a very good experience in school. Being diagnosed with Dyslexia and undiagnosed with ADHD, I was labeled a bad kid, I’m sure I lived up to the title. Most of my experiences with my teachers were not good.

JP: Can you tell me a little bit about your cover work. I really like it for Aberrant in particular. Can you explain where the idea for that cover came from?

JS: I get a vision of what the covers should look like as I am writing, I really enjoy designing the covers, whether I actually do the final cover myself or just send the idea to an artist. The cover for Aberrant just came to me one day. The hands symbolize Jack aka Art, the frozen rose symbolizes Aberrants, because they only age to a certain point then they are frozen.

JP: Consequently, Nytstars is an amazing book with a not so amazing cover. Can you tell that story?

JS: The Nytstars cover did not go as planed. My publisher sent me a terrible cover, the characters on the cover did not resemble the characters from the book what so ever. I was given a very short time line to come up with my own new cover or I would have to use the one they did. I hired an artist who sent me a rough sketch, then seemed to disappear of the face of the earth. So I did the best I could with what I had and created my own cover. Drawing is not a skill of mine, obviously lol. Now I am having another cover designed by a new artist, and the book is being rereleased

JP: You’ve done Nytstars through traditional publishing and you’ve done a few books on your own. What do you like about both routes? What do you wish was different?

JS: I didn’t have a very good experience with publishing Nytstars traditionally. The publisher didn’t really do anything at all for me. Except print the book. Self-publishing I am in complete control, and I like that. I want to be the one to say what it will look like in the end, it’s my story. I am sure there are better traditional publishers out there, and I would be willing to try that route again. I would really like to find a way to publish that I didn’t have to front all the money, but I still have control. I want my cake, and to eat it too, but really, don’t we all?

JP:You don’t just write fiction, but non fiction as well. Can you tell me about your book Distracting the Distractions?

JS: Distracting the Distractions I wrote to help people understand ADHD. I was diagnosed with ADHD at 22 and my youngest son was diagnosed at 5. I found out quickly that not only do many people not understand what it is, but they have very strong opinions of how to deal with it. I wanted to give a real understanding of what ADHD is, and how it effects someone.

JP: Did Distracting The Distractions accomplish your goal? What did you learn about it writing it?

JS: I have had many people say that Distracting the Distractions did help them to understand ADHD, that it opened their eyes and made them look more closely at what is best to help their child. Which makes me happy that I could help someone, simply by doing what I love to do.

JP: What advice would you give writers?

JS: My advise to other writers, is follow your own path, what works for someone else, may not work for you. You have to stay true to your stories, they came to you for a reason, you wrote them the way you wrote them, for a reason, don’t edit them to death, edit them to life. And most importantly, if you were born to write, then write. Don’t let anyone, including your own inner terrorist stand in your way. You can’t write, wrong.

JP: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

JS: Thank you Joshua for giving me the opportunity to share about my work and myself. I really enjoy connecting with other writers and artists.

Thanks Jo-Anne!

You can find out more about Nytstars and Distracting the Distractions at Jo-Anne’s webpage: http://jo-annesieppert.com.  As for Aberrant, you can purchase the ebook here right now.  Jo-Anne’s fiction are fun reads, for the kid, and kids at heart.  I can’t recommend them enough.

Nemesis’ Daring Escape Chapter 1

Nemesis was coiled and resting in his cage, dreaming about the little mice that would soon be dinner.  He loved mice.  They always dangled in front of him right when he felt famished.  His owner must have worked hard to catch them.  She would dangle it over his head.   With one rapid shot he enjoyed that first bite to hold it in his coils.  Once they were coiled and that skull brain stuff was sufficiently crushed (the owner never thought to do those things, he’d have to point that out sometime.) he would start to swallow them a bit at a time until they found themselves inside of him.  Just thinking about it made him hungry now.  They were his favorite thing in the world.  He wondered when he’d get his next one.

It didn’t matter.  The mouse would come sooner or later.  Until then, he could just lay here all day with not a care.  And why should he?  Life was good and he knew it.

“Alright Nemmie!  Come on out of there.”

Oh no.  Anything but that.  He was so comfortable in here.

“Come on lazy get up!”

He didn’t want to.  Didn’t she realize she was interrupting quality nap time?  Still, she was the owner.  And he supposed that he could allow such a thing.  His hiss was only half hearted as the owner picked him up.  She handled him.  It had seemed unnatural at first to allow this, but she was good at handling him.  Dare he say he liked this?

No.  No no no.  That wouldn’t be snakelike at all!  No.  He tolerated it.  Yes, that is the world these silly humans use.  Tolerate.  It means to endure something.  She handled him all the time.  Still, she was good at it.  Nemesis stopped there.  He tolerated it.  That’s all.

Afterwards she set him down.  Since he was out, he wandered.  He glanced at the cages with the other creatures that he allowed to dwell in his domain.  There was two two geckos who referred to themselves as May and The Thing.  They seemed to be clamoring about.  Crocodile tears were on their faces as Nemesis passed them by.

“No fair, “ May said.  “It’s not right that you’d be allowed out of the cage.  You got handled too.  Thing!  They got handled!”

“I know May.”

“We have rights too you know!”

“Yeah but we’re not snakes.  They need to be handled more than we do.”

“Sorry guys,” Nemesis said graciously.  “I’ll put in a good word for you next time?”

“Sure you can acting so high and mighty.  You got handled!  We loved being handled!  Hey owner!  We need love and attention too!”

“You just want to touch her boobies Thing!”

“Quiet May!  I just want attention and love.  The boobies thing is a bonus.”

“Right.”   May and the thing were two lizards that always wanted the attention Nemesis got.  They always complained about it.  Nemesis for the most part was amused by them.  He kept looking.  Luna seemed to be sleeping.  She just sat there in a daze.  Afternoons really weren’t her time of day.  She was an early riser.  She always called herself Luna the great hunter.  She would spend hours practicing her pouncing.  One day, she said, she’d be the greatest hunter of all.

Then there was Raven, the other snake.  Nemesis at first felt a little threatened by Raven .  He like Nemesis was a snake.  And snakes as he knew were the greatest creatures on the planet.  Raven though wasn’t quite like Nemesis.  For one thing he never fights the owner for attention.  He lavishes it and embraces it.  He was so pitiable.

He was just so happy.  It was the happiness that drove Nemesis crazy.  I mean sure happy was all fine to be at times, but there were something to be said about moody.  It was good to change moods .  It gave variety to life.  Being happy all the time was just this bright colour of sunshine.  What was worst, happiness was a disease.  It was contagious.  If he wasn’t careful he would smile too.  That wasn’t snake like at all!

“Come on owner,” Raven said so nicely.  “Let me out too.  I’ll be good.  I’m always good.”  Yes he was.  Maybe that was what bothered Nemesis.  He was too good.  There had to be a rebellious streak somewhere inside of Raven.

“Why are you always so good?” Nemesis hissed at him.

“Why are you always so grouchy?  You are getting all the attention and love here.”

Nemesis couldn’t find a response to that.  Why wouldn’t he be happy?  He was always loved by the owner.  Would always be loved by the owner.

Wouldn’t he?

The infernal device buzzed off.  Nemesis didn’t understand it.  Why did the owner put this device on her ear every time it vibrated or buzzed?

“Hello?  Oh good!  It’s here!  I can’t wait!”

What’s here?  What can’t she wait for?  Nemesis wanted to know.

She looked down at Nemesis her snake.  There was an excitement in her eyes.  If Nemesis didn’t know better he thought she’d be jumping up and down.

“I’m getting another pet Nemmie!  I can’t for you to meet him.”

Nemesis' Great Escape by Joshua Pantalleresco is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0 Unported License.

The Second Feature

I’m pretty happy with the interview so far.  There will be one up (if I can help it) Every week.  I have a few authors lined up and the second interview is well under way.

My next feature is a rotating arc.  I’m going to tell stories.  Occasionally, I’m going to do some experimental and fun stuff.  And maybe even have a few other surprises as well.   For now, I’m going to be starting a short installment called  Nemesis’ Great Escape.   Look for it starting this saturday.

Also, if you are interested, I wrote my favorite column ever this weekend.  This saturday I published a feature on City Lights Bookshop in London Ontario.  It’s worth a read.

More to come.

JP