The Holocaust Engine by David Rike and Stephen Patrick

Month: September 2020 (Page 2 of 3)

The end?

All good things must come to an end, but some endings are better than others. We started this journey to our launch date talking about famous first lines. While we hope this journey never ends, it made us think about last lines. Sometimes they are the perfect bow on a perfect package. Othertimes, they leave us wanting more.

Books, movies, whatever comes to mind, we’d love to see yours in the comments. Here are a few of ours:

“The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from pig to man again; but already it was impossible to say which was which.” Animal Farm George Orwell

“He loved Big Brother.” 1984, George Orwell

“And so farewell from your little droog. And to all others in this story profound shooms of lip-music brrrrr. And they can kiss my sharries. But you, O my brothers, remember sometimes thy little Alex that was. Amen. And all that cal.” A Clockwork Orange, Anthony Burgess

“It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.” A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens

“Later on he will understand how some men so loved her, that they did dare much for her sake.” Dracula, Bram Stoker

“And strangest of all is it to hold my wife’s hand again, and to think that I have counted her, and that she has counted me, among the dead.” War of the Worlds, H.G. Wells

“I take his hand, holding tightly, preparing for the cameras, and dreading the moment when I will finally have to let go.”  The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins

 “To the eternal glory of the infantry—“ Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein

And just for fun:

“The last man on earth sat alone in a room. There was a knock on the door…”

Who needs a hero?

Today’s breakfast-time writer prompt:

Name a favorite protagonist and a single sentence of why. Bonus points for being off the beaten path, but recognizeable.

STEPHEN PATRICK: One of my favorite fictional Texans, the “gallant gentleman” himself, Quincey Morris: big heart, big knife, big smile, and he killed Dracula!

DAVID RIKE: Stephen R Donaldson’s leper, Thomas Covenant, a fun version of the social pariah as hero, with no real stake in society, but they defend it anyway.

Dog-eared pages and faded ink

Today’s thought experiment is about “that one book”, the one with the worn edges, the notes in the margins, the one that has traveled with you through time and space.

Other than religious volumes, what is “that one book” on your shelf that you’ve read the most often? Drop yours in the comments, and add any backstory that goes with it!

Ours are below. Mine is a bit classic, and, to be expected, David’s is hyper-practical.

STEPHEN:

This one is easy, albeit a bit straightforward. This 1978 paperback packs nearly 800 pages of horror classics with an introduction by Stephen King. I’ve read it for curiosity, pleasure, school, research, inspiration and sometimes just because I had it nearby (and it fits in a coat pocket). I’ve carried it to both U.S. coasts as a traveling companion and it has three decades of margin notes, ideas and wear. A decade ago, I laminated the cover to keep it from falling apart. There is no single volume in my library that holds such a powerful influence on my reading/writing habits for horror, science fiction and literature.

DAVID: I have an edible plant field guide for the Rockies that we take with us on vacation every year. I’d take the kids plant hunting and we’d hike all over.  Tried to make Choke Cherry jam one year and I still can’t figure out how to get Amaranth out of Lambs Ear….  Those seeds are  tiny.

Evolved Publishing

One of the toughest parts of being a writer is finding a path from the lonely, blank page to your reader.

One of the easiest has been working with our publisher and editor. Lane Diamond and his team at Evolved Publishing gave the Holocaust Engine a home and have been terrific partners on our journey.

We’ve mentioned our love for Kabir Shah’s artistry. Lane is another powerful ally, a coach and master editor, who helped polish and refine our words into the final product that comes out next week.

In addition to our story, take a look around the full catalog. There are stories, books, and audiobooks for every taste and genre and a few that defy easy explanation. Once you dive in, you may not want to come up for air.

Here’s a quick view of what you may find:

The perfect tool or a perfect waste

Any disaster book has to explore the tools, skills and essential needs required to survive. Sometimes you have the perfect tool for the job and other times you’re lost in the woods with a writing journal and no pen.

Our thought experiment for today is:

What is the one item that you consider absolutely essential in a survival situation?

AND

What is the one item you consider absolutely useless in a survival situation? (extra credit if you add on why you’ll carry it anyway)

We look forward to your thoughts and comments below!

Out of nowhere?

One of the joys of being a writer is finding inspiration in the most unusual spaces.

My question for today: What is the most obscure thing you’ve read/seen in the past month that impacts your writing?

Here’s a few gems we’ve found in obscure places that have impacted our writing. Leave your own in the comments or feel free to comment on ours. Enjoy!

DAVID RIKE

Attack of the Mushroom People is a Japanese horror movie from the 60’s on Amazon Prime.  It’s actually good.  Mostly just a stranded-on-an-island-survival-movie.  Surprisingly smart script, you know, for a story about attacking mushroom people.

STEPHEN PATRICK

The Imjin War by @Samuel Hawley explores the Japanese invasion of Korea from 1592-98. Ostensibly, a historical piece about an obscure time period and a sliver of history that was never covered in my world history classes, Mr. Hawley builds an incredible narrative about human interactions, strategy, and drama. Based on original sources, it is filled with colorful characters, immersive settings, and page-turning scenes. Add in palace intrigue, samurai and naval combat with Geobukseon (“Turtle ships”), it filled my notebook with inspirations for several current and future projects.

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