The Website is Up!

Hey everyone! My new website is up. Head on over to:

www.jamesticknor.com

Be sure to subscribe (totally free) and you'll get updated on author interviews, book reviews, writing tips, and more!

Update on the Blog- New Website!

Hey, everyone! I'm sorry that I haven't been posting anything on the blog, but here's a well-deserved update for ya. I am in-process of setting up my own website and moving the blog over to there. From there, it will have purchase information for my book, a blog, archives, sign-up listing, and much more! It's going to be epic, and I can't wait to see you all over there! My appointment to get this stuff figured out is on Saturday at 2:00, and my goal is to have my website fully functional by Saturday night.

All of this is to engage you better, give you better resources with easy access, and to help you enjoy my work with ease! I'll keep you all posted.

Watch Me Destroy Your Childhood Memories Pt. 1- The Wizard of Oz

This is the inauguration of a series I will introduce in my blog called “Watch Me Destroy Your Childhood Memories”. The first memory I will destroy is one you hold onto fondly, The Wizard of Oz.

The Wizard of Oz is evil, abhorrent, and what would be a child’s rendition of a James Bond/Bourne film. Here, we have the relatable protagonist Dorothy who is thrown into the midst of chaos when a natural disaster strikes. Her family decides to abandon her to the wrathful clutches of nature instead of clinging to the hope that she may get to their shelter before the tornado hits *(for she did have time to knock and scream on the door before running inside). This only shows that her family, large and seemingly caring at the end, decided not to wait til the last second in the hopes they’d find her.

 Despite her shunning family, Dorothy does find shelter and gets skull bashed by a window screen. When everything settles down, she discovers that she is in some weird land full of midgets. She is simple minded enough to believe that she has traveled across an entire state, instead of reasonably thinking that she has just been thrown into the next municipal district, from the obviously manicured roads that are lacking in her hometown, which are largely comprised of dirt.

Anywho, Glenda the “Good” Witch of the North frames Dorothy for murder my magically placing slippers on her. Not only does she frame her in front of an entire city who goes along with it clearly because they are under duress, but she does so in front of the victim’s family *(i.e. Wicked Witch of the West), who only arrived to claim the Ruby Slippers that were obviously a sentimental heirloom to the family.  Dorothy is blamed, thanks to Glenda, for the Wicked Witch of the East’s murder and sworn vengeance/justice on. No doubt, the real culprit behind the murder is Glenda, who caused the tornado to tear Dorothy away from her family so that Glenda could manicure her into an unwilling assassin on a mission to take out the Wicked Witch of the West as the only way to get home.

Along the way, the forced *(soon to be tasked) assassin known as Dorothy uses her charismatic powers to manipulate and deceive others to believe that their problems, which are likely highlighted by serious underlying medical conditions, can be cured by the Wizard of Oz. Where did she get this information? Glenda, the orchestrator of chaos and murder.

When they finally arrive to Oz, they are tasked with murdering the witch. It is only when they seek out the Witch to murder her that she physically retaliates in self defense, imprisoning Dorothy. Yet, she is so controlled by Glenda’s influence that she still refuses to give up what is not rightfully hers- the Ruby Slippers.

So, the others storm her castle to jailbreak Dorothy, despite having committed grand larceny, breaking and entering, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (the tinman’s axe), conspiracy to murder, and no doubt countless other felony charges. When they enter the Witch’s home, it is then, before the eyes of her own constituents and  under her own roof, they murder her. Why? To steal more family heirlooms *(the Witch’s broom).

When they return to Oz with their prize, they discover that they were had, but are satisfied with metaphorical gifts for some ill-begotten reason. Glenda shows up when Oz escapes persecution for his political crimes. She tells Dorothy that she has had the power to go home all along, proving that Glenda manicured Dorothy into a deadly assassin like the hit 2010 spy film, Salt. When Dorothy is gone, who is left to rule Oz? Glenda, with the Ruby Slippers and magical broom she so desperately wanted, to combine the powers of the most "evil" beings ever known to the world of Oz. It is in this way that she can begin her tyrannical reign after extorting an innocent farm girl to be an assassin, co-conspirating to espionage with Oz, orchestrating a destructive path of serial killing, and overthrowing national government to become the ultimate totalitarian dictator.

[Book Review] Combat Related PTSD: The Willie Gray Story

This book was fantastic, and, coupled with the last book I read, ignited a certain measure of fondness for nonfiction books. The story deals with the author, Melvina Gray, who fell in love with her future husband. Little did she know that he suffered from combat related PTSD as a result of serving during the Vietnam War.

This book is different from many that I have read, so I'm not quite for sure what criteria I should be using the critique this work. Normally,  I read fiction novels. So, I view this book with a more academic mentality. In that light, this book is interesting in the fact that it brings to the surface some truly sad things about PTSD and how it effects those living with it or around it.

This book also made me realize that if one were to write their life into the pages of a book and read it, then we may be able to look at the characters in them objectively and realize how things should've happened. But the problem with that is we can only write about the parts of our lives we experience, and what we write is the moment we live in.

It was made clear to me, despite going through what I would say is quite an ordeal, Melvina's life story now and forever was changed by what many may consider to be a flawed character. This book made me realize that love can be found even in the darkest of circumstances, and that even people who are intrinsically flawed can have a beautiful effect on our lives.

The Willie Gray Story is by no means a fairy tale, and it's not meant to be. It's life. The only difference between Melvina Gray and Willie Gray is that the Willie Gray Story ended when the book ended, but not entirely. His story had a great effect on Melvina and Jamar, their son. So, while his story may come the close that we all must meet, Melvina's and Jamar's story will forever be affected by that. Through their experiences, Willie, despite never having met me, also affected my life, my story.

For more information on PTSD, please visit the link below:

http://maketheconnection.net/conditions/ptsd?gclid=CjwKEAjw456hBRDQ4eqg8MzA2W0SJABI2gJ8g_VE_iY5LJnYtAWwp8v_a2_ybpPr6hXSA0SDVxRGfxoCURfw_wcB

[Book Review] The Dark History of the Occult: Magic, Madness, and Murder

                I have just recently finished reading A Dark History of the Occult by Paul Roland. I bought this book many years ago for its enticing cover and taboo subject; however, I didn’t read it for a long time despite being drawn in within the first line. Hell, the first 3 pages were genuine and immediately challenged my recently denounced Christian faith. As to why it took me years to pick up again, I can’t say, but I’m glad I did.

                The cover is beautiful and spans the eons of humanity’s existence, immediately foreshadowing the rich history of the occult. The size of the book, untraditional by standard, suited the subject matter, which was another subtlety that I liked. With impressive content and the expertise to back it up, Paul had enticed me into purchasing the book.

                The content itself is executed in 5 Chapters *(plus an introduction). It identifies “Satan”, the history of magic and a brief comparison of some main religions, witchcraft, and more. I must admit, with such an ambiguous subject to be covered in 203 pages (not to mention large pictures), I was worried Paul was going to skimp over vital information that experts sometimes forget to explain or present the information in a haphazard way. To my delight, he didn’t do either.

                The Dark History of the Occult challenged some of the darker corners of my life that I hadn’t illuminated with reason, such as what the manifestation of evil was and symbolism in Christian concepts. Once he had brought what I knew under a microscope and enabled me to objectively view the subject matter, for I do like to keep an open mind to different views, he explored the occult in-depth.

                The history is rich, and I discovered many things I wish I wouldn’t have about the Catholic Church, but such “righteousness” *(some would call evil), must never be forgotten. Even progressing through modern times, Paul explained modern influence of the occult. My favorite part was in rock and roll, but the early 1900 stories of Crowley were fun to read as well. He also convinced me to read H.P. Lovecraft’s work ‘Necronomicon’.

                There's so much about this book that I'm excluding, but I can promise you, all of it is interesting. If you're wanting to know more about the neo-Pagan movement or just want to expound on your knowledge of religion, I highly encourage you to read The Dark History of the Occult (subtext Magic, madness and murder). The link to the book and where to purchase it can be found here:

 http://www.amazon.com/The-Dark-History-Occult-Madness/dp/0785827137/ref=tmm_hrd_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=1411627731&sr=8-1

Philoso-raptor

One of the greatest intellectual paradoxes and quandaries that sparked an imaginative response among a generation so absorbed with mindlessly operating technology (like robots), is the birth of the philoso-raptor. This meme depicts a raptor musing over interesting or paradoxical questions. For example: 

This meme, while not intrinsically related to books or writing, presents the chance to explore the imagination, fueling the "what if" factor that is so critical to writing. So, without further delay, here are the best Philosoraptor quotes EVER!

1. If tomatoes are a fruit, isn't ketchup technically a smoothie?
2. If we squeeze olives to get olive oil, what do we squeeze to get baby oil?
3. If I received a nickel for every time I recieved a nickel, would I have infinite nickels?
4. We avoid risks in life, so we can make it safely to death?
5. If I'm taught not to talk to strangers, how do I make friends?
6. If dentists make their money from unhealthy teeth, why would I trust a product 4/5 of them recommend?
7. Can you pay a time traveler by the hour?
8. If practice makes perfect and nobody is perfect, why practice?
9. If a tree falls down and no one is around to hear it, how do they know the tree fell?
10. If the pen is mightier than the sword, then why do actions speak louder than words?
11. If Satan has supernatural powers and uses them to punish evil doers, then isn't he a superhero?
12. When people yawn, do deaf people think they're screaming?
13. Why do noses run and feet smell?
14. If you enjoy wasting time, is that actually wasted time?
15. Why do people say "heads up" to tell you to duck?
16. If women are never wrong, what happens when two women disagree?
17. If two mind readers read each other's minds, wouldn't they be reading their own minds?
18. If you have one eye, do you wink or blink?
19. Did bookstores create a "spiritual" section, because they didn't know if they should put Bibles in the non-fiction or fantasy section?
20. If a church gets an insurance settlement due to an act of God, wouldn't that be fraud?

On the next post, I'll do a book review. Until then!

Word Games

Here are some funny, ironic, or thoughtful sentences for your entertainment:

1. The alarm went off, so I had to turn it off.
2. Here is a picture of me when I was younger.
3. If the world didn't suck, we'd all fall off.
4. Don't join dangerous cults; practice safe sects.
5. Blue is greener than purple.
6. I stepped on a corn flake. Now, I'm a cereal killer.
7. The average woman would rather have beauty than brains, because men see better than they think.
8. You're unique, just like everyone else.
9. If there's a will, there's a way...for you to find 500 relatives.
10. The road to success is always under construction.
11. Everyone wants to go to heaven, but nobody wants to die.
12. (Blogger favorite) We live in a country where pizza gets to your home before police.
13. A "word to the wise" isn't necessary- it's the stupid people who need it.
14. When it comes to thought, some people stop at nothing.
15. You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.
16. Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.
17. To all you virgins, thanks for nothing.
18. Evening news starts by saying "Good evening" and then tell you why it's not.
19. Why do "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?
20. When life gives you melons, you might be dyslexic!

Tomorrow, we'll explore the musings of the great Philoso-raptor! :)