Chris Ryan

TUESDAY MUST READS: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue (a guest blog by the Neighborhood Connect)

Posted on March 29, 2022 by chrisryanwrites

Hey, how ya doin’? How’s your Ma? Tell her I said hello, all right?

Ever since the government banned all books “just to make sure we keep the bad ones away from our precious children” the Neighborhood Connect has had nothing to do with published works. Zero. Zilch. Nada. Can’t help ya. Nothing to read here. Keep walking.

Look, I know why you’re coming around. Books. Everyone who wants to see me is looking for a good read. Legally, I don’t know what any of youse are talking about, you know what I mean?

But we can chat in certain, purely theoretical, terms that won’t ruffle any anti-reading ignorance enforcers out there. Let’s agree to talking about “imaginary wedding gifts” if books were what we gave as gifts to start lovebirds on their lives together. We’ll go Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue, all right?

OLD: Penguin Horror’s edition of The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson with a key introduction by Guillermo Del Toro.

Jackson’s classic tale is a must read for horror fans, and this particular edition includes an amazing essay by the Oscar-winning director that serves as a master lecture on the genre itself. Not to be missed. I mean, thank the government this threat to wholesomeness is gone!

*What this book looked like before The Ban. No idea where this could be found today, I swear. So don’t arrest me for nothing!*

NEW (tie): Classic Monsters Unleashed edited by James Aquilone and Even in the Grave edited by James Chambers and Carol Gyzander.

Well, “new” has to be theoretical since books are banned now, right? Okay, but if they did exist, these two new anthologies would really launch a marriage well. Luckily, printed thought no longer tarnishes national safety.

But if they did? You kidding me? Classic Universal monsters roaming the earth again? Unleashed by legendary authors? It’s a slam dunk, McGuinness! (Theoretically speaking.)

Still newer (not that I know anything about illegal reading materials) is Even in The Grave, an anthology filled with authors from the tri-state area. A lot of them happen to be affiliated with Horror Writers Association’s New York Chapter (which I officially know nothing from nothing about, okay?), offering exciting chills to keep couples close and everyone else quivering in their boots.

*What this book would look like in a joy-filled universe, ya know what I mean?*

*Officially, I can’t tell the government this book exists. Just saying.*

BORROWED: Blood in The Garden – The Flagrant History of the 1990’s New York Knicks

If books weren’t banned around here, this would be a sports tome people purchased, read, cherished, and then some friend would borrow it and that’s all she wrote. Boom. Gone. Eventually, you would buy a second copy, reread it all over again, loving all the great details of Knicks basketball in that decade, enjoying Chris Herring’s fast-paced, full court press writing style, and then your brother would come over and “just want to see it overnight” and that copy would be history. Not that I have ever officially owned a book. Nope. Not me.

*What do you mean you want my copies of this book, officer? I am flummoxed by your accusation!*

BLUE: Since books are not kosher any more, I’m going to use this one to quote another form of writing. The world is crazy these days, but we each gotta live our lives anyways, ya know? And sometimes, well, things get bad there, too. We all go through pain and loss, and sometimes we need help so we know we aren’t alone. Ray Charles summed up that feeling well, and has helped heal me on many an occasion when he sang …

A rainy night in Georgia, A rainy night in Georgia, Lord, I believe it’s rainin’ all over the world, I feel like it’s rainin’ all over the world.

Hey, stay safe, and if you are able, do what you can to bring others in out of the rain.

And tell your Mom I said hello.

Posted in # thrillers, #adventure, #amwriting, #comedy, #community, #inspiration, #reading, Book lovers, ebook publishing, fiction, horror fiction, pop culture, Pulp fiction, self-publishing, writing | Tagged #amreading, #amwriting, #author, #authorlife, #BookBuzzr, #ebook, #eReaders, #getcaughtreading, #horror, #horrorfiction, #hwany, #Kindle, #Paranormal, #publishing, #readhorrorfiction, #ScienceFiction, #ShortStory, #Storytelling, #Suspense, #weneeddiversebooks, #WriteMotivation, #writerslife | Leave a comment

MONDAY MUSINGS: Historic Honors and a Slap Overshadow Oscars Other Big Winner

Posted on March 28, 2022 by chrisryanwrites

History was made at the Oscars last night with a more diverse set of winners than ever before, including people of color, deaf performers, women, and LGBTQ artists.

And yes, a comedian was slapped by a husband for a cheap, dated joke about his wife.

Last night’s diversity is progressive and should be celebrated. Each moment deserves to be replayed and cheered as helping us fulfill the Idea of America – the concept that anyone can come here and do the hard work to make dreams reality.

The slap will, sadly, take on a life of its own.

But there is another Oscars story that doesn’t seem to be getting the coverage it deserves. This is a tale of the winner of the most categories of the night – Dune, which took home gold for six of the nine nominations it received.

The sci-fi reboot won Oscars for Visual Effects, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Score, and Sound. While the film fell short for Adapted Screenplay, Costume Design, Makeup and Hairstyling, and Best Picture, we shouldn’t sleep on how well Dune performed last night.

Undoubtedly, Best Picture is the big prize, and Coda deserves celebration for its historic accomplishments on so many fronts. A great story well told should always be honored and supported by film lovers, and this is definitely one to cherish. Coda’s triumph underscores the crucial truth that movies can and should be inclusive because deeply moving tales come from all of our lives.

Also, awards going to POC, deaf, female, and LBGTQ artists are welcome not only because the performers deserve and have earned their honors, but also because these wins wonderfully emphasize that our country can still be, in fact and in deed, a beautiful mosaic, no matter what the minority view might be.

To those points, I believe we also have an important reason to praise the biggest winner of the night.

Sure, Dune won in the technical categories that may not be as sexy as others, but collectively they express a similarly historic point. Those honored for their contributions to Dune represent a huge, diverse, talented, and dedicated collection of international artists who worked together to offer the world a breathtaking tale exploring the human struggle of nobility vs. greed, duty vs. self-discovery, and the power of imagination.

There is a wonderful takeaway from last night’s Oscars that should be embraced as passionately as the other triumphs of the evening. Dune offers an experiential feast for the senses and nourishment for the soul brought to us by our aforementioned beautiful mosaic. And we are better for their efforts. Bravo.

Posted in #inspiration, Coda,, Dune,, film, LGBTQ,, Oscars,, POC,, pop culture, writing | Tagged #America, #diversifyyourselves, #Storytelling, Coda,, Dune,, Oscars, | Leave a comment

SUNDAY CHILL Guest Blog: How to be the KoC (King of Chill) by Sonny Mehlman, chief security officer, Seamus and Nunzio Productions, LLC

Posted on March 27, 2022 by chrisryanwrites

Let’s be honest, some are born with gifts, some aren’t. This piece is for those of you not quite as fortunate as I am. While these abilities come to me naturally, I believe that if you follow my advice you too can become a King of Chill. Here’s how.

Step 1: Find a place to chill. It must be comfortable, offer ample room to stretch out, and preferably be owned by someone else.

Step 2: Grab some sun if possible. Nothing is more chill than lounging in the sun, pantsless if possible.

Step 3: Ignore wannabes. Nobody can harsh the vibe of a KoC.

Step 4: Utilize a warmer if one is available. Usually, the only things this guy is useful for is serving up the grub and cleaning up after me (if you know what I mean😉), but on a chilly day, it helps if you have one trained to sit still and warm your chill spot.

Step 5: Chilling with a Fabulous Babe is always better.

Step 7: When you become a KoC like me, it is important to pass on the knowledge and ability to friends and coworkers. Spread the chill, brothers and sisters, and the world will be better for it.

Posted in #amwriting, #comedy, #community, #dogs, #inspiration, #productivity, writing | Tagged #amwriting, #author, #authorlife, #books, #comedy, #dogs #chill, #WIP, #writerslife | Leave a comment

Saturday Self- Promotion: Tell The Damn Story podcast is still relevant for aspiring and emerging writers

Posted on March 26, 2022 by chrisryanwrites

With 222 episodes under its belt, Tell The Damn Story, a podcast for aspiring and emerging writers, is not only going strong, it is improving, if I do say so myself.

Full disclosure, I am one of the co-hosts of the podcast/YouTube show, with comics legend and all-around writer guy Alex Simmons. Twice a month we discuss some aspect of the writing process, the trials and tribulations of getting traditionally published, or the challenges of independent publishing. All of it is served up with a side order of humor.

Guest interviews have included Executive Producer of all things Batman, Michael Ulsan, artist Julie Bell, authors Teel James Glenn, Carol Gyzander, James Chambers, Joe R. Lansdale, Don McGregor, Caseen Gaines, Omar Holman, Alex Segura, and Jesse J. Holland, among so many more,

When it is just Alex and I, we’ve mined pop culture for lessons in writing, discussed how to submit stories, listed best practices for rewriting, suggested how to finish what you start, gave advice on pushing beyond doubt, and so much more.

Episode length has varied over the years as we seek the perfect format, but it seems an hour is about average for us. We open with what’s new, then set up our topic for the episode and dive in, pretty simple and direct. We are told that our 30-plus year friendship fuels the approachability of the show and provides warmth and humor. I’ll add that other attractive elements that have earned us compliments include our passion for writing, for serving the story, and for encouraging creatives.

Perhaps the best feature of this positive, encouraging show is that listeners or viewers can jump in at any point, engaging with any episodes that offer topics you want to learn about no matter where in the show’s history it appears.

Tell The Damn Story is available wherever you listen to podcasts and on YouTube. New listeners are welcome. Comments are embraced warmly.

Posted in # thrillers, #adventure, #amwriting, #comedy, #community, #inspiration, #MCU, #NonFiction, #productivity, #reading, Book lovers, comics, digital publishing, ebook publishing, education, fiction, film, horror fiction, Independent film, independent publishing, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, pop culture, Pulp fiction, self-publishing, writing | Tagged #amediting, #amreading, #AmRevising, #amwriting, #author, #authorlife, #comedy, #comics, #crime, #diversifyyourselfs, #Dystopian, #ebook, #EditGoal, #editing, #EditingGoal, #ePubChat, #IndieAuthor, #IndiePub, #Marvel, #Mystery, #NonFiction, #publishing, #selfpublishing, #ShortStory, #Storytelling, #Suspense, #Webfic, #weneeddiversebooks, #WIP, #WomensFiction, #womenwriters, #WriteChat, #WriteGoal, #WriteMotivation, #writersblock, #writerslife, #WriterWednesday, #writestuff, #WriteTip, #WritingBlitz, #WritingPrompt, #writingtips, #WroteToday, writing | Leave a comment

FRIDAY FUN: Revisiting Daredevil has been a treat

Posted on March 25, 2022 by chrisryanwrites

With only a slight switch to patron’s viewing status, Disney+ is making its entire catalog available, including the Marvel Netflix shows. A recent rebinging of Daredevil season one reveals two things, especially after watching four Disney+ MCU shows: these shows are more violent and way better than you might remember.

Noirish in tone, Daredevil relentless in its drive to weave a thrilling crime drama while slowly developing the MCU version of this beloved character so every aspect is rendered acceptable in live action. He wears mostly black street clothes until the 13th and final episode of the first arc. His infamous billy club doesn’t exist but the idea of it develops as “the devil of Hell’s Kitchen” finds throwing found items and confiscated weapons is effective for him. And his heightened senses are given a grounded explanation and slow roll out so we buy it all a bit at a time.

Charlie Cox, Rosario Dawson, and Vincent D’Onofrio turn in thoughtful, grounded, and riveting performances that lend the neighborhood tale a much larger feel. The rest of the cast also embrace their roles, delivering an ensemble feel to the proceedings. The writing, direction, cinematography, and fight choreography are fast-paced, full-blown, and provide the show a summer blockbuster vibe and a noir feel similar to The Batman simultaneously.

Overall, having these shows alongside the rest of the Marvel offerings further defines how diverse and varied the MCU is. With each new offering the channel feels more like the weekly pile of Marvel comics I devoured as a kid.

Highly recommended.

Posted in # thrillers, #adventure, #MCU, comics, fiction, film, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, pop culture, super-heroes, writing | Tagged #comics, #crime, #Disney+ #Daredevil, #Marvel, #Storytelling, #Suspense, writing | Leave a comment

Getting to the chair is most of the battle

Posted on January 5, 2022 by chrisryanwrites

by Christopher Ryan

With the start of 2022, one of my priorities is increasing productivity. I even created a daily schedule for myself. While adhering to that schedule has not been perfect, there has been one undeniable success: more productivity.

It has become clear to me yet again that as long as you get to that chair, that writing space, and open the laptop, or turn on the computer, or pick up the pen, you will write.

It does not matter what gets you there, as long as you do, and as long as you begin. And it does not matter whether that writing is perfect. Quality can come later, the process is now, doing the job is all.

So don’t worry about perfection, or the amount of work ahead of you, or whether it will be published, or win awards, or any of that nonsense. Just do whatever needs to be done to get to that chair. You don’t even need to sit. You can stand in front of it, as long as you write.

Posted in #inspiration, #productivity, writing | Tagged #AmRevising, #amwriting, #author, #authorlife, #publishing, #WriteChat, #WriteGoal, #WriteMotivation, #writerslife, #WriterWednesday, #writestuff, #WriteTip, #WritingPrompt, #writingtips, #WroteToday | Leave a comment

Guest Blog: A Writer’s New Year’s Resolutions

Posted on January 3, 2022 by chrisryanwrites

2022. Already. The start of a new year feels like the opportunity to roll up our metaphorical sleeves and “this year get it right.” Time management, …
A Writer’s New Year’s Resolutions

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Scheduling Can Support Productivity

Posted on January 3, 2022 by chrisryanwrites

by Christopher Ryan

Post-holidays and amidst rising Covid numbers, ugly weather, the one year anniversary of Jan. 6, and other bleak news, it can be hard for independent creatives to get going and maintain productivity. Something as simple as a schedule might help.

As a recently retired teacher, a scheduled workday is still ingrained in my professional DNA, so, after much deliberation, I plan to start 2022 on a schedule that lays out smaller goals to be done by a certain time each day.

Instead if “write everything and create successful marketing plans and social media platforms that sell your work” as an endless goal, writing from 8-10 am seems much more achievable.

Taking a quick walk or stretch and grabbing a water might be enough to re-energize and refocus for a 10:15-noon social media training/creating/scheduling session.

After a sensible lunch and walking the dog or showering, more writing or proofreading/editing from 1-3 and then checking email and/or sending out work from 3-5 can end the day productively.

Will every aspect of this work well? I don’t know. Might it prove to be more productive than throwing my whole creative world onto my shoulders every day? I suspect it will. In either case, I believe it is worth a try. I’ll keep you posted.

What works for you as far as productivity? Let me know in the comments.

Posted in #amwriting, #community, #coronavirus, #inspiration, #productivity | Tagged #2022goals, #amediting, #AmRevising, #amwriting, #author, #authorlife, #Coronavirusblues, #EditGoal, #editing, #EditingGoal, #IndieAuthor, #productivity, #publishing, #scheduling, #selfpublishing, #WriteGoal, #WriteMotivation, #writerslife, #writestuff, #WriteTip, #writingtips, #WroteToday | 3 Comments

Here’s to You, 2022

Posted on January 1, 2022 by chrisryanwrites

by Christopher Ryan

Last night was a pretty honest mess. Miley’s party was self-conscious and apologetic. Ryan Seacrest’s joy seemed forced, almost desperate. And seeing Anderson Cooper drunk on air again just underscored how few fucks we have left to give as a society.

Millions of masked masses crowded together in defiance of all social distancing suggestions. Then the revelry kicked in and naked faces crawled out from under the tenuous safety of thin material. By the countdown, New Year’s Eve 2021 was a sea of masked chins even as hospitals filled and Covid case numbers soared. Says a lot about our national mindset as 2022 dawned.

Yes, we all want this to be over, want this endless uncertainty and illness to be gone. After such a long, depressing purgatory, it is understandable that so many just wanted to ignore the risks and get their dance on.

So, happy new year. My wish for the revelers is that Covid took the night off. We all need a break.

As for 2022, I hope we embrace the truth that hate won’t save us, knee jerk reactions won’t improve our collective fate, and pointing fingers always guarantees failure. We need to listen to each other and negotiate our way to taking responsibility for our mutual well-being.

We tried hate and mocking and violence. Mutual assured destruction thrived there, not much else. This year, let’s try mutual assured survival. Which thoughts must we rethink to be able to have constructive discussions again?

All we really need to do is decide there is a better life available and then be brave enough to step toward it.

I hope to see you there.

We have a chance to move forward in 2022. Are we going to make another mess of it? Or can we win together?

Posted in #amwriting, #community, #coronavirus, #inspiration, #WeThePeople, 2022, America, Health, New Year’s Eve, partying, pop culture, writing | Tagged #amwriting, #coronavirus, #Coronavirusblues, #Covid #communication, #newyearseve, 2022 | 1 Comment

One More Really Fun MCU Spider-Man Easter Egg

Posted on December 29, 2021 by chrisryanwrites

By Christopher Ryan

SPOILERS AHEAD!

In the wake of the monumentally successful release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, there has been a satisfying amount of scrutiny, opinion, and interpretation that Marvel geeks like me eat up by the bowlful. And in the spirit such delicious exchanging of ideas, allow me to suggest one other small element of interpretation: the Home trilogy completes our cinematic connections to beloved Spider-Man comics.

Spider-Man and The Amazing Spider-Man each told the titular hero’s origin (key points – Uncle Ben’s globally known statement and subsequent murder, followed by Peter Parker’s resulting guilt and commitment to web-slinging). Recently, it was suggested that the Home trilogy didn’t show Uncle Ben’s death because the entire trilogy served as the origin story. This culminated, of course, in a dramatic variation on the tragedy, which occurred about two thirds of the way through No Way Home. This tear-jerking twist may have hit a deeper emotional note with us because it built over three films, but ultimately the movies collectively deliver Tom Holland’s Spider-Man to the heartbreaking legacy that is our hero’s essence.

Spider-Man is a tragic figure in our modern mythology. He must always lose someone. That spurs him on to do good for others. Yes, many Marvel characters have variations on this trope, but worldwide, we strongly recognize ourselves in Spider-Man. We see Peter Parker (or Miles Morales or Gwen Stacey) trying to be Spider-Man (or Spider-Gwen), sacrificing so much to be the hero that he or she failed to be for a person close to them. We cannot help but want Spidey to overcome failure because we want to overcome our own shortcomings. We identify with this grief-stricken kid because of his determination to be better because we want to be better, too.

There is no new ground here at all. This is merely a confirmation of all the conversations that have gone on recently. I applaud them. They are a lot of fun to dig into. I love this stuff so much that, with all respect, I’d like to add just one more element. This is not to negate or contradict anything that’s been said before. It is just meant to, hopefully, add one more layer of fun.

When I was growing up there were three major Spider-Man titles that Marvel published: The Amazing Spider-Man, The Spectacular Spider-Man (which eventually just became Spider-Man) and one other. If we look at the three Spider-Men (Toby McGuire, Andrew Garfield, and Tom Holland), each of their cinematic journeys match one of those major titles. Toby McGuire’s films were called Spider-Man and Andrew Garfield’s movies were entitled The Amazing Spider-Man, covering those two comics. I suggest that, besides accomplishing so many other things, Tom Holland’s MCU adventures sting suggest the formula of the third beloved Spider-Man title of my childhood, that classic comic called Marvel Team-Up.

In every issue of Marvel Team-Up, Spidey would meet another Marvel character and their interaction would influence the outcome of the adventure. The Home trilogy is very much (though not perfectly) film versions of Marvel Team-Up.

In Spider-Man: Homecoming, the web-slinger teams up with Iron Man, sort of. In Spider-Man: Far from Home he works with Nick Fury and, in a weird way, Mysterio. And in Spider-Man: No Way Home, Spidey clearly teams up, at least for the beginning and the end of the movie, with Dr. Strange. And, um, other Spider-Men. And, er, a reformed villain. If it was an actual issue of the comic, the cover would read Marvel Team Up Spider-Man and Dr. Strange and Spider-Man and Spider-Man and Dr. Octopus.

This is neither deep nor revelatory. It is just fun to note that there is a Marvel Team-Up series in the MCU. To the best of my knowledge, the Tom Holland films were never promoted this way, but I can’t look at these films without seeing one of my all-time favorite comic books very well represented.

Fans may dream of a Marvel Team-Up series on but I don’t think that’s ever going to happen. First of all, Spider-Man is still and probably always will be owned by Sony. Secondly, Spider-films are expensive to produce in any form. There seems no way a series could afford to pay all the headliners currently in the MCU to come in for one episode or a two- or three-episode arc (as seen in the comic). Further, MCU/Disney+ shows have established themselves as season-long arcs rather than adventure of the week, so adding new guests each episode would result in a pile of expensive characters for each season’s finale, costing about as much as a major motion picture. That is not a goal of these shows, according to what MCU guru Kevin Feige has said.

But all of that is okay because, honestly, we are already enjoying MCU Team-Up.

And it has been glorious.

Posted in #adventure, comics, fiction, film, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, pop culture, super-heroes, writing | Tagged #AndrewGarfield, #comics, #Marvel, #MarvelComics #TobeyMaguire, #Spider-Man, #Storytelling, #TomHolland | Leave a comment

Chris Ryan

TUESDAY MUST READS: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue (a guest blog by the Neighborhood Connect)

MONDAY MUSINGS: Historic Honors and a Slap Overshadow Oscars Other Big Winner

SUNDAY CHILL Guest Blog: How to be the KoC (King of Chill) by Sonny Mehlman, chief security officer, Seamus and Nunzio Productions, LLC

Saturday Self- Promotion: Tell The Damn Story podcast is still relevant for aspiring and emerging writers

FRIDAY FUN: Revisiting Daredevil has been a treat

Getting to the chair is most of the battle

Guest Blog: A Writer’s New Year’s Resolutions

Scheduling Can Support Productivity

Here’s to You, 2022

One More Really Fun MCU Spider-Man Easter Egg

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