Well, I thought it was going to be tomorrow.

I had the shoot with my model all set...and of course, the rain has to fall. And it will tomorrow, too.

Shoot pushed back to Friday, when I pray it'll be nicer.

*sigh*

To say I'm frustrated is an understatement.

I'll let you know how things go...

Before I write anything, I wanted to say thanks in return to Malice, Girthii and kevdude...and thanks to you, Midwinter, for your kind word, too!

Now, I left a comment earlier under Aya's blog about doing a photo shoot. Strange but true, that's exactly what I'm gonna be doing within the next two weeks. As some of you might know (if you read my topic on the STL Group's page), I was looking for a model for the sake of the front and back covers of my novel, "Hell Knight". Well, I found her, and if all goes the way I think it will (still a lot of preparations to get done...I want this to be done right!), it'll be during the week after April the 6th (Grindhouse Day)! I'll have more details soon!

Once again, for those curious about "Hell Knight", check out my preview site:

http://www.geocities.com/hellknightnovel/index.html

And if you want, sign my guestbook!

For those of you who don't know "Azumi"...and this isn't spam, just a public service announcement!...



Azumi is the title character of a 2003 Japanese swordplay film directed by Ryuhei Kitamura, who also directed "Versus". And yes, my fellow geeks, it's based on a manga! It's about a barely-out-of-her-teens assassin (but not ninja...she's a samurai, but her style is a mix of traditional and ninja techniques) sent out with her fellow students to hunt down and destroy the few remaining warlords who wished to continue the civil war in Tokugawa-era Japan.

Simply hearing about this film a couple of years ago inspired me in a lot of ways in my creation of "Hell Knight".

I finally got it last December (after I sent my novel to be copyrighted), and "Azumi" was everything I hoped it would be and more: the best damn swordplay film ever.

But how does a swordplay movie equate to "Hell Knight"? Use your imagination...

If any of you have seen it, please send your comments! I want to know I'm not the only "Azumi" fan at SG! (Of course I'm not, but I want to hear some good words, anyway!)

My inspiration for "Hell Knight" came from a lot of influences...from video games to Stephen King to anime to Hong Kong action films. Primary among those influences are Hong Kong action film actresses who starred in a sub-genre called 'Girls With Guns' films from the mid-1980's to the early 1990's. Actresses like Yukari Oshima, Moon Lee, Cynthia Rothrock, Sharon Yeung, Cynthia Khan, and more famously Michelle Yeoh. I'll be the first to admit: watching a beautiful woman kick serious ass is cooler and sexier than most things I can take the time to watch. And these were women who kicked ass and were tough without losing their femininity, unlike Linda Hamilton in "T2".

And if you don't believe in the appeal of a beautiful woman in action, watch "Azumi".

Yukari Oshima in particular, when she played a nameless samurai in "Shanghai Express" aka "Millionaires' Express" in 1986, was the beginning of my inspiration to create Yuki, the lead character of "Hell Knight". Other influences followed to guide me to devising what kind of character she would be, and more importantly her story.

Not wishing to spam, one of the biggest things that has taken up my life is "Hell Knight". It took months to write, from about last April to just before November, and I got it copyrighted in December, 2006! I'm ALMOST ready to call on a print on demand service to publish, but my greatest problem at the moment is presentation. The book's gotta look good, right?

I can provide everything I need for the shoot...the only thing I'm lacking, though, is a lady model for the shoot who can embody the main character of "Hell Knight", Yuki. Unfortunately, while I can provide everything else for the shoot -- I would even be doing the photography with my trusty 35mm SLR -- finding an available Asian-American model is easier said than done! Hopefully some of my fellow STL members can help me out...I'll have to see!

If anyone here is interested I have a preview of "Hell Knight", featuring the first three chapters of the novel, online at GeoCities! Here's the address...

http://www.geocities.com/hellknightnovel/index.html

Check it out if you wish, and let me know what you think!

It's hard to figure where to really get this blog rolling. I already have a blog going on MySpace, and there I talk about my novel "Hell Knight". For those in the STL Group, however, I can tell about something ongoing that's giving me fits.

See, I'm an amatuer photographer as well as a writer, and I'm looking for a local model for the cover of my novel. I'm having fits, though, because it ain't easy! Let me describe my situation to those in STL: I need a lady, regardless of experience, who is physically similar to the main character of my novel, Yuki...Asian-American, and between 25 and 40 years of age. Everything else for the shoot I can go out of my way to provide...unfortunately, without a model I'm pretty much screwed, and those who have shown interest either proved to be unavailable, not right for the shoot, or for some other reason. I even placed an ad in the RFT, but that went nowhere fast...

*sigh!* But the model search will march on...it has to if I want a cover for my novel!

Other than that, everything's going great.

To be continued...

(And a special hello and thanks to my new friends here at SG!)

Okay, progress! I input as much as I dared about myself, my top ten whatever, interests, etc. As you'll quickly see, I'm not only a hopeful author but a geek. Ah, well. If you don't like it, don't even send a damn comment! Anyway, I'll be around trying to win new friends! To be continued...

Hello! I'm just an average guy from the heart of America looking to make friends and influence people. Respect me, and I'll respect you. If you don't respect me...well, 'problem' won't even friggin' describe what I'm capable of! Seriously, it's an honor to be here! Now, where are those ladies my momma warned me about?