No, not my own, just the parent characters in my newly published panto 'Sleeping Beauty'. So starting at the top:
King - Princess Tina's father. Which is it - is he hen pecked or suffering from a rather guilty conscience? Having had a relationship with the Shadow Witch Malaria before her magic flared, he bows an awful lot the wishes of his wife.
Queen - a regular battle axe. When she gets into full flow there is no stopping her so it is best to interrupt before that point. Just make sure you are out of arms reach.
King Neighbour - Father of Prince Feet and twelve others. His kingdom hasn't always been at peace with Tinytown, in fact he tried to invade some years before the panto starts, but having Malaria-as-a-dragon drop in on his army and send it running for the boarders rather curbed that ambition. He treads rather carefully around the issue of boarder control now.
Queen Neighbour - Mother of Prince Feet and twelve others. Spends most of her time training up her boys ready to marry them off to other royal families, except for her youngest Prince Feet.
Fairy Sweetpea - Fairy Godmothering is not for the faint of heart. Rushed off her feet and out of time trying to make the world work, or at least, keep running. Has a thing against prejudice and bigotry, probably because she's seen what it has done to her sister, Malaria.
Malaria - the Shadow Witch, not a title she wanted. Born with the Shadow Magic, she has one massive great chip on her shoulder as she has done nothing but try and help people with it and in return all she's got is being cast out, not because of what she has done but because of what she is. The lack of an invitation to Princess Tina's christening really was the last straw.
Chamberlain - Lives in a perpetual state of panic, not surprising as he is the favourite target when the Queen is in a bad mood. Sends most of his time running around trying to complete the ever growing list of jobs to do that she gives him.
Coughs, Colds and Sneezes - Malaria's three imps and sometimes Shadows. Sneezes is the brains of the trio, although that isn't saying much, with Colds being fairly observant, while Coughs brings up the rear in the brains department. Good for a lot of slap stick and mucking about.
Dame Fuzzy - the only one who tried to help Malaria when her magic first flared, not that the King and Queen realise that when they give Princess Tina over to her care. The panto dame and all round mothering soul, she'll take anyone in under her wing, even the Chamberlain.
Princess Tina aka Elderflower - practical and not easily scared. Has a more balanced view of Malaria then her parents expect or want, due to Dame Fuzzy's influence. Though she has done all the training of a Princess, she has also learnt how to cook, clean, wash and sew. She is no lady in an ivory tower, that's for sure.
Prince Feet - the youngest of thirteen and the one over looked. Meets Princess Tina as a child due to the work of a certain Fairy Godmother. Unlike his brothers, this one does not have a swell head.
Prince Philip - The oldest of Prince Feet's brothers that we meet (the others have already been married off). To some it up everything is always about him.
Prince Nigel - a lawyer in the making and another of Prince Feet's brothers. Just about every sentence contains a reference to one law or another. Even Fairy Sweetpea is pleased to see the back of him.
Prince Roland - another of Prince Feet's brother and a CEO to the core. I can't work out which is worse Prince Nigel or Prince Roland.
Prince Dan - just about the only one of Feet's brothers who willing recognises the fact that Feet is there. An athlete who isn't overly enthusiastic about being married off to royal, it's all work and no time to train.
Mayor - someone has to run the county when everyone in the castle decides to permanently catch z's for several years.
Colonel Vins - a soldier with good sense. He knows an ally when he sees one, even if they are as unlikely as a shadow helping the light.
Chorus of peasants, courtiers, soldiers, monsters and magic. Suggestions for how to make the special effects work are written in to the script.
I hope you like the character summery and I know that was rather more than just the parents but once I started writing I was on a roll so just kept going. Oh yes, I did.
To see the full script:
http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/137733/Sleeping-Beauty-Panto
Friday, 17 October 2014
Tuesday, 14 October 2014
I'm Published!!!!
Yes! I have finally managed to be published on DriveThruFiction! Thank you very much to the team of DriveThruFiction for their support and definitely a lot of thanks to Stephen Hughes, a fellow DriveThruer and great friend for talking me through the whole process.
You can now view my Panto 'Sleeping Beauty' on:
http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/137733/Sleeping-Beauty-Panto?filters=0_0_44419_0_0
Please have a read and review, even if you don't buy.
For fellow am-dram actors and actresses, I hope that it is a clear and concise script without any scenes that are difficult to stage. If you like I will do a character description over the next few blog posts. As a taster here is the blurb:
"When Princess Tina of Tinytown was born the good Fairy Sweetpea and the Shadow Witch Malaria decided that here was the perfect tool in their on going arguement about the existence of love.
The traditional tale of 'Sleeping Beauty' with Shadows, Imps, Monsters and magic where an honest heart might just win out over plans, plots and a very nasty case of the man flu."
You can now view my Panto 'Sleeping Beauty' on:
http://www.drivethrufiction.com/product/137733/Sleeping-Beauty-Panto?filters=0_0_44419_0_0
Please have a read and review, even if you don't buy.
For fellow am-dram actors and actresses, I hope that it is a clear and concise script without any scenes that are difficult to stage. If you like I will do a character description over the next few blog posts. As a taster here is the blurb:
"When Princess Tina of Tinytown was born the good Fairy Sweetpea and the Shadow Witch Malaria decided that here was the perfect tool in their on going arguement about the existence of love.
The traditional tale of 'Sleeping Beauty' with Shadows, Imps, Monsters and magic where an honest heart might just win out over plans, plots and a very nasty case of the man flu."
Thursday, 2 October 2014
The Equalizer
Went to see The Equalizer yesterday and rather enjoyed it. It is not a film to watch if you disagree with vigilantes but I don't so I'm fine with it. If the world governments and police forces would protect us from criminals then we wouldn't have to do it ourselves. I think what I like most about it is that the main character always gives the ring leaders of the mob cells he takes on the chance to make the choice between continuing with their evil or giving it up. Also if he has to use force he will leave them alone if they put their guns down. Granted he'll then tie them up and leave them where the police can find them but that's different from just killing them all.
It rather made me think as well, because to save the young girls that are being trafficked and to stop the crooked cops that are in on both that and the protection bracket he has to do some nasty stuff but to some he's their guardian angel. What made me realise it was when the crooked cops walk out of the shop after they've given back all the money and the lady stands in the window and says a pray of thanks.
Sometimes angels come in funny shapes. There are people who will disagree with me on this but it is a thought that has struck me several times as I have read through my Gideon's Bible over the years. In the book of Revelations, in chapter nine there is predicted the arrival on earth of Abaddon, who is given crown and command, by God no less, and ordered to go out and torment those that have persecuted the faithful of God. This wouldn't be anything to remark about if Abaddon was an angel but he's not. Abaddon is said to be the demon lord of the Seventh Pit of Hell. So why is a demon lord being handed crown and command by God? Why would a demon obey God? Unless the battle lines between good and evil are not as clear cut as we humans like to think. After all what is a demon but an angel that knows how to hate? And what is an angel but a demon that knows how to love?
I wouldn't know the answers to that but I've read through Revelations several times and no where does it mention Abaddon and his scorpion people being destroyed along with Satan and the other demons. That's something to think about, isn't it? One of the gaps in the Bible narrative that we have to fill in for ourselves.
Perhaps just praying for God to come and make everything right on earth is not enough? Perhaps we need to stand up and be counted for what we believe in, which kind of makes me realise that our angels and our demons are right here with us. The interenet can be a tool for criminals and worse but it can also be the tool we use to fight them. So really it comes down again to the choices we make.
Rather leaves us responsible for what we do, doesn't it?
It rather made me think as well, because to save the young girls that are being trafficked and to stop the crooked cops that are in on both that and the protection bracket he has to do some nasty stuff but to some he's their guardian angel. What made me realise it was when the crooked cops walk out of the shop after they've given back all the money and the lady stands in the window and says a pray of thanks.
Sometimes angels come in funny shapes. There are people who will disagree with me on this but it is a thought that has struck me several times as I have read through my Gideon's Bible over the years. In the book of Revelations, in chapter nine there is predicted the arrival on earth of Abaddon, who is given crown and command, by God no less, and ordered to go out and torment those that have persecuted the faithful of God. This wouldn't be anything to remark about if Abaddon was an angel but he's not. Abaddon is said to be the demon lord of the Seventh Pit of Hell. So why is a demon lord being handed crown and command by God? Why would a demon obey God? Unless the battle lines between good and evil are not as clear cut as we humans like to think. After all what is a demon but an angel that knows how to hate? And what is an angel but a demon that knows how to love?
I wouldn't know the answers to that but I've read through Revelations several times and no where does it mention Abaddon and his scorpion people being destroyed along with Satan and the other demons. That's something to think about, isn't it? One of the gaps in the Bible narrative that we have to fill in for ourselves.
Perhaps just praying for God to come and make everything right on earth is not enough? Perhaps we need to stand up and be counted for what we believe in, which kind of makes me realise that our angels and our demons are right here with us. The interenet can be a tool for criminals and worse but it can also be the tool we use to fight them. So really it comes down again to the choices we make.
Rather leaves us responsible for what we do, doesn't it?
Thursday, 25 September 2014
Lucy
Went to see the film Lucy a couple of days ago and besides being a very good action thriller it was also very thought provoking.
If their research is correct and I'm pretty sure it is, then most animals use about two point five percent of their brain and humans use only ten percent. One could say look what we have managed to do with that ten percent. You could also say look what we haven't done with that ten percent. Yes we have built marvels of technology but at the same time we have driven our planet nearly to the edge of the largest mass extinction evident in history.
Compare that to the dolphin, the creature that is using twenty percent of its brain capacity and with it have developed an echo location system more advanced any human sonar. That is mention in the movie. What they don't mention in Lucy is a fact I learnt years ago from Carol Vorderman's program 'See Through Science' - the echo location of dolphins is so advanced that in shorter ranges it can actually see your skeleton. It is a biological X-ray. Dolphins have done that, not by working and fighting for it but rather by simply existing.
So does that film Lucy have a point when Morgan Freeman's character asks 'are humans more concerned with having rather than being?' And the main question you have to ask is 'what could we do if we started using a higher percentage of our brains'?
I have to wonder because from the brain scan studies of autistics we already use different areas of our brains to homo sapiens so what doors are we opening? Are autistics beginning to use a higher percent of our brains than homo sapiens? Is that why we see so much more than 'normal' people?
I've been told that the reason that my brain over loads on information is because my 'editor' doesn't work. I've always been told that normal humans have editors in their brains that cut out most of the details that they see and hear and that in autistics those editors do not work, hence why we can suffer from information over load and system crash. But what if that is not true? What if autistic are not so much 'editor broken' people but rather people who are more perceptive than other humans? What if we are seeing more details because we are more whole than other people?
And besides speculation there still remains the estimation that eighty two percent of the human race now carry at least six to twelve of the genes involved with autism. So, despite the fact that society has a problem with us, genetically we are viable. So if our genetics continue to spread then eventually we will be the majority population, which means that eventually we will be able to shape society to suit us.
Society being changed by people who have a problem with change. Isn't that divine irony?
If their research is correct and I'm pretty sure it is, then most animals use about two point five percent of their brain and humans use only ten percent. One could say look what we have managed to do with that ten percent. You could also say look what we haven't done with that ten percent. Yes we have built marvels of technology but at the same time we have driven our planet nearly to the edge of the largest mass extinction evident in history.
Compare that to the dolphin, the creature that is using twenty percent of its brain capacity and with it have developed an echo location system more advanced any human sonar. That is mention in the movie. What they don't mention in Lucy is a fact I learnt years ago from Carol Vorderman's program 'See Through Science' - the echo location of dolphins is so advanced that in shorter ranges it can actually see your skeleton. It is a biological X-ray. Dolphins have done that, not by working and fighting for it but rather by simply existing.
So does that film Lucy have a point when Morgan Freeman's character asks 'are humans more concerned with having rather than being?' And the main question you have to ask is 'what could we do if we started using a higher percentage of our brains'?
I have to wonder because from the brain scan studies of autistics we already use different areas of our brains to homo sapiens so what doors are we opening? Are autistics beginning to use a higher percent of our brains than homo sapiens? Is that why we see so much more than 'normal' people?
I've been told that the reason that my brain over loads on information is because my 'editor' doesn't work. I've always been told that normal humans have editors in their brains that cut out most of the details that they see and hear and that in autistics those editors do not work, hence why we can suffer from information over load and system crash. But what if that is not true? What if autistic are not so much 'editor broken' people but rather people who are more perceptive than other humans? What if we are seeing more details because we are more whole than other people?
And besides speculation there still remains the estimation that eighty two percent of the human race now carry at least six to twelve of the genes involved with autism. So, despite the fact that society has a problem with us, genetically we are viable. So if our genetics continue to spread then eventually we will be the majority population, which means that eventually we will be able to shape society to suit us.
Society being changed by people who have a problem with change. Isn't that divine irony?
Thursday, 18 September 2014
Possibilities
This is a subject that I've been thinking about a lot in recent weeks, due in part to someone asking me to try and explain what makes me different from other people. When I consider that for any length of time I find myself going back to the moment when I first realised why people talked to one another.
It was when I first held my sister in my arms as a baby and I can remember quiet clearly the instant that I realised that here, in this little body, was a different soul. Even now the memory of realising at this little being had a different soul to me can shake me. The realisation that she did not think the same thoughts as me, did not know what I knew, blew out more of my circuits that I can explain even now. It sudden knowledge that we weren't just two different bodies but two different souls was a revelation as blinding as the vision on the road to Damascus.
Before that I had been silent because I thought that everybody knew what everybody else was feeling and thinking. I thought that what one knew we all knew, what one thought we all thought. I didn't like talking because to me it was a wasteful noise that stopped the music in my head.
What is more, even now I will have a moment when because I know something I expect everybody else to know it.
Having been looking at this for some time now I've started wondering something. Is it possible that without knowing the meaning of the word telepathy, the infant autistic mind automatically assumes its existence?
Is that why we struggle with speech? Because we are expecting knowledge and emotion to transfer on a wave length of the mind, a direct connection of thought to thought?
When Isaac Asimov wrote about the people of Ghia in 'Forward the Foundation' and 'Foundation and Earth' who, when they speak of themselves, say "I/We/Ghia" was he describing the world that autistics expect themselves to be born into?
Are autistics the people who are reaching for an evolution, not of the body, but of the mind?
And if that is so, then what is the human race throwing away by forcing us to close off that possibility and live life on society's current terms?
It was when I first held my sister in my arms as a baby and I can remember quiet clearly the instant that I realised that here, in this little body, was a different soul. Even now the memory of realising at this little being had a different soul to me can shake me. The realisation that she did not think the same thoughts as me, did not know what I knew, blew out more of my circuits that I can explain even now. It sudden knowledge that we weren't just two different bodies but two different souls was a revelation as blinding as the vision on the road to Damascus.
Before that I had been silent because I thought that everybody knew what everybody else was feeling and thinking. I thought that what one knew we all knew, what one thought we all thought. I didn't like talking because to me it was a wasteful noise that stopped the music in my head.
What is more, even now I will have a moment when because I know something I expect everybody else to know it.
Having been looking at this for some time now I've started wondering something. Is it possible that without knowing the meaning of the word telepathy, the infant autistic mind automatically assumes its existence?
Is that why we struggle with speech? Because we are expecting knowledge and emotion to transfer on a wave length of the mind, a direct connection of thought to thought?
When Isaac Asimov wrote about the people of Ghia in 'Forward the Foundation' and 'Foundation and Earth' who, when they speak of themselves, say "I/We/Ghia" was he describing the world that autistics expect themselves to be born into?
Are autistics the people who are reaching for an evolution, not of the body, but of the mind?
And if that is so, then what is the human race throwing away by forcing us to close off that possibility and live life on society's current terms?
Friday, 12 September 2014
To Book Covers and Beyond
O.K. I'm doing a late night to type this one up but since I don't think that I'm going to have much time to write one up over the weekend I thought I better get one in quick.
The design for my book cover is progressing. I'm pretty sure that I have the right lay out and format now, as inspired by the front covers of the Artemis Fowl books (big thanks to Eion Colfer and his design team!) however, I am struggling to get the right back ground colour. It is being a pig and using up a lot more paper than I want it to. I'm beginning to wonder if I should start looking through the sheets of coloured paper I have laying around the house. I don't want to use dark blue because that would just be a total rip off of the a fore mentioned Artemis Fowl books and nobody likes a thief but a light coloured back ground just wouldn't look right. Believe me I've tried it and it definitely doesn't look right. Would a dark royal purple go well?
Any way, the main question I want to posse you lovely people who read my blog is this - when my book is published what would you like me to do on my blog? I can do world descriptions or I can do character profiles? Either/or is good or would you like me to do both?
I'm hoping that I can get the cover wrapped up soon and not just so I can start selling but also so that I can move on to other projects as I started work with my editor today on the second book in the series.
Galloping Gargoyles! I've just realised that I need to do a series logo for the spine! Great, even more work. Hopefully it will all pay off when I'm up on the best selling lists. Still until then it is more pressure for me to carry. And no sight of that Time Turner I asked for a couple of weeks back. Can you grow time in a pot do you suppose?
People say that writing is a job for lazy people that is the get rich quick route. Sorry to disappoint you but it isn't. It takes an awful lot of work and there are no guarantees of riches at the end of it, especially with the tax man eyeing up half of your profit. Why can't he go and bother Amazon for a while? Or maybe Vodaphone. That would probably pay off half the national debt in one go, if the politicians didn't grab it all before it could get to there.
Any way, if I'm to get any sleep at all tonight I need to wrap it up there. Talk again soon and let me know what you want me to do once the book is on the shelves.
The design for my book cover is progressing. I'm pretty sure that I have the right lay out and format now, as inspired by the front covers of the Artemis Fowl books (big thanks to Eion Colfer and his design team!) however, I am struggling to get the right back ground colour. It is being a pig and using up a lot more paper than I want it to. I'm beginning to wonder if I should start looking through the sheets of coloured paper I have laying around the house. I don't want to use dark blue because that would just be a total rip off of the a fore mentioned Artemis Fowl books and nobody likes a thief but a light coloured back ground just wouldn't look right. Believe me I've tried it and it definitely doesn't look right. Would a dark royal purple go well?
Any way, the main question I want to posse you lovely people who read my blog is this - when my book is published what would you like me to do on my blog? I can do world descriptions or I can do character profiles? Either/or is good or would you like me to do both?
I'm hoping that I can get the cover wrapped up soon and not just so I can start selling but also so that I can move on to other projects as I started work with my editor today on the second book in the series.
Galloping Gargoyles! I've just realised that I need to do a series logo for the spine! Great, even more work. Hopefully it will all pay off when I'm up on the best selling lists. Still until then it is more pressure for me to carry. And no sight of that Time Turner I asked for a couple of weeks back. Can you grow time in a pot do you suppose?
People say that writing is a job for lazy people that is the get rich quick route. Sorry to disappoint you but it isn't. It takes an awful lot of work and there are no guarantees of riches at the end of it, especially with the tax man eyeing up half of your profit. Why can't he go and bother Amazon for a while? Or maybe Vodaphone. That would probably pay off half the national debt in one go, if the politicians didn't grab it all before it could get to there.
Any way, if I'm to get any sleep at all tonight I need to wrap it up there. Talk again soon and let me know what you want me to do once the book is on the shelves.
Wednesday, 3 September 2014
Ghoulies, Ghosties and the Things That Go Bump in the Night
Last night I went on the Tuesday edition of the Norwich Ghost walk, also known as the Elmhill wall.
It was brilliant. It turned up parts of Norwich's history that I didn't know existed and showed me a couple of buildings that I hadn't notice before. One of them particularly in Tombland looks like the architect was high on something when he built it, especially when you view the back and discover the 'door to no where'. Did the Tudors have reefer? Or did they make do with dried banana skins? That's a point, did they have bananas in those days? I don't know but what ever the designer was smoking I don't think it was normal tobacco.
There were suitable ghoulies and ghosties wandering about, although the helicopter which persisted in buzzing around and making it difficult for all of us was a serious annoyance. If I'd know who it was I be tempted to go and put a walnut down the exhaust pipe.
Anyway, the ghoulies and ghosties where brilliant and apparently 'Brother John' rather liked me. I didn't think that monks where allowed that sort of thing but as my friend Stormie pointed out, they used to have a passageway that ran below the road so they could nip out to the Maid's Head Hotel for a sneaky drink. If they were doing that you have to wonder what they were getting up to with the bar maid.
All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable night out and was highly entertaining and informative. The Man in Black, as our host introduced himself, was brilliant at spinning a yarn and playing up the atmosphere. If you like slightly creepy and rather funny then I high recommend going on one of the walk. The Man in Black and his creepy crew can also do birthday parties but only if the ghosts are not on strike.
If you want to go on one of the walks, then just meet up outside of the Adam and Eve pub, Bishopsgate, Norwich at 7.30pm on Tuesday or Thursday night (they do a different walk on the different evenings) or check up www.ghostwalksnorwich.co.uk.
I loved every minute of the two hours and these a Halloween special coming up but apparently you need to book that one 'cause they've had to impose a number limit for health and safety reasons. That and the ghosts get shy if there are too many people there.
It was brilliant. It turned up parts of Norwich's history that I didn't know existed and showed me a couple of buildings that I hadn't notice before. One of them particularly in Tombland looks like the architect was high on something when he built it, especially when you view the back and discover the 'door to no where'. Did the Tudors have reefer? Or did they make do with dried banana skins? That's a point, did they have bananas in those days? I don't know but what ever the designer was smoking I don't think it was normal tobacco.
There were suitable ghoulies and ghosties wandering about, although the helicopter which persisted in buzzing around and making it difficult for all of us was a serious annoyance. If I'd know who it was I be tempted to go and put a walnut down the exhaust pipe.
Anyway, the ghoulies and ghosties where brilliant and apparently 'Brother John' rather liked me. I didn't think that monks where allowed that sort of thing but as my friend Stormie pointed out, they used to have a passageway that ran below the road so they could nip out to the Maid's Head Hotel for a sneaky drink. If they were doing that you have to wonder what they were getting up to with the bar maid.
All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable night out and was highly entertaining and informative. The Man in Black, as our host introduced himself, was brilliant at spinning a yarn and playing up the atmosphere. If you like slightly creepy and rather funny then I high recommend going on one of the walk. The Man in Black and his creepy crew can also do birthday parties but only if the ghosts are not on strike.
If you want to go on one of the walks, then just meet up outside of the Adam and Eve pub, Bishopsgate, Norwich at 7.30pm on Tuesday or Thursday night (they do a different walk on the different evenings) or check up www.ghostwalksnorwich.co.uk.
I loved every minute of the two hours and these a Halloween special coming up but apparently you need to book that one 'cause they've had to impose a number limit for health and safety reasons. That and the ghosts get shy if there are too many people there.
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