Five days before Christmas, I learned that my 26-year-old cousin was shot and killed. This person wasn’t just any cousin. She wasn’t just any family member. Ever since she was a baby, she was like a little sister to me. And apart from her surviving sister, I don’t think I ever loved anyone more than Autumn.
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This is a little embarrassing to admit because…as men, we’re told we have to be “masculine” and apparently everyone’s coming up with their own pre-conceived notions of what masculinity is…but if you know me, then you know honesty is forte.
This is about getting Likes or even Emojis for your work, posts, and social media. Essentially, it is “validation.” It’s cool to say things like, “I don’t NEED any validation”. Sure, sure.
The truth is…I don’t “NEED” it. But would I like it? Absolutely! Why does anyone post ANYTHING, if not to share and get some kind of reaction or validation back from the people who “follow” them. This isn’t a bad thing. We’re humans living in the age of technology. Once upon a time, we had local fairs and town squares. Now, we have social media.
Continue ReadingDuring my 20s, I obsessed over two main goals. One was to lose weight after getting up to 378lbs. I succeeded in getting down to 220. The other was to become a published author, and not just “any” published author. I wanted to be the best. The kind future generations had to write reports about in school.
Just recently, a friend asked me why I had given up on that goal. It’s difficult to explain without sounding like I’ve straight-up failed. It’s understandable to assume I was using the Bible as an excuse, as if to say I couldn’t hack it in the world of publishing. Because he asked a good question.
“What does reading the Bible have to do with you not succeeding as an author? It’s not like you’re doing drugs or committing a crime. Are you saying God doesn’t approve of authors or success?”
He didn’t ask those questions to offend me. I could tell he was genuinely seeking to understand. Truth is, I haven’t given up on that goal. The difference between 34-year-old Rock and 24-year-old Rock is that it’s no longer the priority. It’s still high up there. But once upon a time, nothing else mattered more.
First off, you have to understand that being a Christian is voluntary. Reading the Bible and believing in Christ’s teachings is something we “choose” to do. So as I begin, I’d like you to keep these critical scriptures in mind.
In Matthew 19:16-23. A rich young man asks Jesus, “What must I do to have eternal life?” Since he was a boy, the young man has kept the commandments. He didn’t steal. He didn’t commit murder. He honored his mother and father. So what commandment must he do to have eternal life?
In verse 21, Jesus answered, “Sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, and come and follow me.”
Continue ReadingIn May of 2009, I had just graduated, just got fired, and was on the verge of starting over by moving back in with my parents. To me, that would have been failure. Brace yourself…a lot of personal revelations in this one.
In the last chapter, you saw my elation, such triumph and joy at the debut of 2NE1. But by June 1st, 2009…my life wasn’t going so great. In March, I was 22 and had just graduated from a tumultuous four years of film school and landed a job with an up-and-coming start-up company. Haha, so without going into so many details, turns out this company was run by gamblers and con-artists. I’m not lying.
In the beginning, I thought everyone was so cool and everything ran like a well-oiled machine. I was hired as a video editor and a content producer. But one thing led to another and I eventually learned that one of my bosses wasn’t who he said he was. The man claimed to be one of the founders of Myspace. He was eventually fired, and my new boss (the gambler) started writing me bad checks that would bounce.
In May of 2009, I flew to Colorado to attend my cousin’s graduation and while there, my boss called me over the phone and fired me, accusing me of theft. I’m no thief. He only fired me because I threatened to file a lawsuit against him for writing bad checks.
And so…in June of 2009 for the first time since I was 16, I was without a job. My future seemed uncertain. I barely had enough to pay one more month of rent and that was it. These were sad days, but I’m not the type to sit on my thumbs and say, “whatever happens, happens.” In the end, I had made up my mind to leave Florida, pack up what I could, and move back into my parent’s house in Georgia in July. Basically, to start all over.
This decision wasn’t easy. As a young man full of pride, moving back into my parent’s house was like admitting defeat, that I couldn’t cut it in the real world on my own. But pragmatically, it was the best decision. Moving back in with my parents would allow me to get another job, save up without paying rent, and then I could head out to Los Angeles and pursue a career as a screenwriter. This was my thinking.
With my mind made up, I spent most of June 2009…writing. Every day, I’d wake up and go to my school’s library to write. And the music that got me through these tough times was none other than a lesser known Japanese composer who goes by the name of Yoko Kanno.
Hello hello hello!
I’ll be turning 26 this month. No longer amongst the college category. They say its the prime of a young man’s life. To be honest, I’m excited. For most people, the new year starts on January 1st. For me, it always starts on August the 18th. My 25th year was so cool. Last year I was able to write a full 144,000-word manuscript, a 119 page screenplay, turn 3 of my screenplays into short stories, build a website, put my stories up and promoted myself on a wider scale. In August of 2011, I weighed 270lbs. Now with it being August of 2012, I weigh 226lbs.
I’ve accomplished so much. I’ve come so far. I’ve stumbled. I’ve had my heart broken. I’ve had my pride trampled on. But I never stayed down. I always get up and realign my sights on my targets. I don’t only see my goals, but I remind myself why I’m doing this. And after each hardship, after each trial, after each hurdle and obstacle, I can’t help but look up and smile, letting out a hard chuckle. I’m not dead yet. The few friends I do have are always helping me. I won’t forget them.
SO THEN… I don’t see an end in sight. Constantly moving, constantly improving, never staying the same and never staying in the same place, mentally or physically… all that jazz. Those are the goals of that stuff people call life. My life.
For the month of August I plan to do the following
– Release Episode 1 of “The Boys from Race Track Road” in the Original Stories menu.
– Release the character Bios of “The Five Pillars of Minority”
– Release a short story, a five to ten page side-story involving one of my main characters from the Three Kings of Ybor.
– Release a Press Release, via PR Web to drive more traffic to this website. I plan to target my release to Chicago, New York and San Francisco.
After this month, I’ll probably leave the website alone for a while and let you guys catch up on your reading. I still need to find an agent after all. “The Three Kings of Ybor” isn’t gonna sell itself, and I’m ready to unleash.
CLICK HERE TO START READING!!!
Good news everyone!!! The first episode of my beloved “Dragon Ash” series is out.
This story is jam packed with action and choreographed fight scenes.
In this episode, we take a peak at Osaka, Japan just before the start of the Boshin War. Unbeknownst to our main characters, an incident happens that triggers a series of unfortunate events. Then we jump to 2004 where our 17 year old Tien Kaze tries his best to explain what its like to be in the struggling shoes of an Asian living in an unofficially segregated school and dealing with a pair of religiously antiquated parents.
The Stage in the Sky is about revenge, rivalry and rebellion. And out of those three, “Dragon Ash” is mostly centered around the theme of rebellion. Tien Kaze isn’t out to prove his worth, he isn’t out to overcome all odds or fight evil. He’s just a young man who wants to live life his way. Unfortunately, guilt, oppression and a series of untimely deaths bring him face to face with a reality that some paths just cannot be avoided.
Just in case you’ve happened to stumble on this website without me actually giving you a link to it, thanks for visiting, obviously.
But I wanted to let you know that I already have a boatload of content written and ready to be put up. But I’m kind of new towards the whole online publishing stuff. So, I’m taking my time and doing it right. Better so than going in haphazardly and what not.
I plan to start with the “Original Stories” Page.
I’m writing quick summaries of the stories I already have written and plan to put up. So far, I have five of them. And once you read the summaries, you’ll be drooling at the mouth to see more. But never fear. I work tirelessly to put it out there.
After I put up the summaries of the stories, I want to post the character bios of those stories in the “Character Bios” page. And its not just character bios, but I’ve also found photos of actors and famous celebrities who I’d cast if I were to make the stories into a live production. I did this to help stimulate your imagination so you can see the characters in your head when you’re reading about them. Alright! Here I go. I hope you’re rooting for me.
Stage In The Sky 