Love the Art, Hate the Artist?

Picture the scene; it's 1998, your esteemed narrator still has the fresh glow of youth, long hair and the body of a Greek god (one of the above is untrue), and at the time is at a music venue in Wolverhampton with a friend who ran their marketing dept. There's a band playing on stage, loud, not too heavy, touching lightly on melodic. They were quite good. Afterwards I was at the bar when the singer came up to it. I tried to speak to him. It was approaching 20 years ago and I still have yet to meet another person with the ego and sense of self entitlement which exceeded this knob-end of biblical proportions. All I wanted to do was say I liked his work and have a quick chat about influences, he didn't even bother to say anything after it became apparent I wasn't there to sign him and just walked off. "What are they called again?" i asked my friend later. "Coldplay, I think," she said. I sniffed. "Shit name."

And I stand by that, but that's not my point. Since then they've achieved some modest success, and douche-singer married some lady with a fruit fixation, and if I'm quite honest I like the sound of some of their songs. Some of them I like quite a lot. Would I ever purposeful listen to them? Hell no, because they're a bunch of egotistical dicks (backed up by said friend - so's Craig David in case you were wondering (the venue staff were specifically instructed 'not to look Craig in the eye')), and there's plenty of great music out there that I don't think I need to make the effort and separate the art of the artist.

Coldplay, yesterday... I swear this wasn't me

This is something which has been popping up again and again recently. If you're part of the sci fi and fantasy publishing community you would have almost certainly seen it brought up in the 2015 Hugo awards and the whole sad puppy debacle, or more recently with replacing the bust of HP Lovecraft as the statue for the World Fantasy Award. "Love the art, not the artist." Well, I can't, and to my ears it sounds like a last ditch attempt at defending a) the artists' repugnance, and b) the tacit sign the defender harbours some agreement with what makes them repugnant.

I'm thinking more about this now as I move along with my own work. Part of what is selling my work is me (*waves*). In an age where the artist is more than ever responsible for advertising their work, the artist themselves becomes a part of that marketing. Who am I? What do I think? Who do I say would win in a fight between Batman and Superman (answer - whoever sold the tickets). If I strike a chord with the reader they're more likely to buy into what I'm selling,

But does that mean I need to make myself as a person more likable? Mmh, good question.

I'm sure each person asked would have their own answer, and mine is no, no I do not. For a start I reckon I'm a pretty likable person as is (I even help my elderly neighbour take his rubbish bins out, and I worry that when we move the next people to live here might not), but also having opinions is what makes a person a person, it defines our character. Will I offend some people? Honestly as a writer if I don't offend someone I think I'm doing something wrong, but most people are emotionally mature enough to know that not sharing an opinion does not mean you write someone off totally. Having opinions gives you something to talk about. Don't believe me? At the next office party try having a conversation with someone without any.

So, yes, have opinions, pick a side, get off the fence. Do not be afraid. If you take anything from this little rant let it please be that - Do. Not. Be. Afraid.

Michael

How Not To Be A Dick

I’ve been told I’m too honest. Not in the way of telling friends they do look fat in that or at job interviews, just in general and specifically when it comes to looking after myself first. But the thing is, I don’t see that as a failing. I’m sure I have lost on out some opportunities along the way, but I’m a firm believer in karma and being at peace with oneself, ad judging by how happy I am in life I reckon I’ve been proven right.

But I have a point for bringing this up.

My wife’s cousin and her boyfriend are visiting at the moment from overseas. Great people, and it’s their first time in Australia, so we’re showing them all the bells and whistles. Anyway, when I was chatting to the boyfriend he told me he was made over $200,000 last year, and in Macedonia; not the greatest economy in the world. Of course I asked at what he told me he runs blogs with millions of followers and it’s all ad revenue, and if I wanted he would show me how to do the same and also how to maximise the reach of my own work.

Of course I said I’d love to, so he did, and…. Look, I’m not judging. The job situation in Macedonia is hard (40% unemployment for under 25s), so you do what you have to, and that kind of environment promotes a certain entrepreneurial spirit. But what it basically is is viral clickbaiting. Rewriting popular articles from major newspapers, and pushing them across all social media with fake accounts as recommendations.

Look, it obviously works, and no one’s being hurt, so as I said I’m not judging, but when he offered to do the same for this humble blog I had to decline. This blog is me talking about my work, I’d even go as far and risk sounding pompous as to say my art. It’s a reflection of me, and if I had to trick people into buying my work, well…. You get the idea.

And then yesterday, this happened:

By @jeremyduns: a very disturbing read about a fellow @HachetteUK author. If true, this is shameful behaviour https://t.co/QJsvtN5oIE

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) January 9, 2016

The TL;DR version is author who pushed his own work (successfully) through fake fan accounts takes it upon himself to cyber bully and harass other authors who say that’s not on, then comes across the implacable giant who is JK Rowling. There’s a link to Jeremy Duns’ blog there and it’s well worth the time to find out how not to act as a writer. I wouldn’t be surprised if the prick in question finds himself without a publisher soon.

But that’s what I mentioned before; karma. The world caught up to him.

I’d like to think I’m part of the world, not better or apart from it (as the stain above did). I’m also so humbly British the idea of presuming my work is worth pushing onto people I don’t know brings me out in a cold, tea-flavoured sweat. But both the two stories above have actually taught me a lot, and one of those lessons was I’m not giving my work the chance it deserves, and there’s enough info there for me to begin taking my work, and the Patreon account in particular out into the world without being underhand about it.

So, 2016 shall be the year of readership. This begins with you (*wave*). So, thank you for reading.

Michael

Happy New Year From This Word Monkey!

Hola, and welcome to 2016.  I hope all your holidays were fun and filled with whatever libations you enjoy most. Of course now the break is over and it's back to the keyboard..... kind've.

The fam and I have come down to Rye on the Mornington Peninsula for some R&R before the day jobs start again, but for some of the us the work never ends, eh?  So right now you find me in the hellish, temporary office slaving away.....

I know, it's awful.

But seriously, with the kids ready for the beach at pretty much every moment and wineries to go explore I still do need to get the works down.  It's now 7:45am and I've been up since six, editing down some sci fi background for Mantic games.  It's important to grab what times you can to write, and if you don't have any to grab, make some. History is written by the people who set their alarm clocks quietly very early and woke up before the screaming starts.  I think Napoleon said that.

But I think I hear the first stirring of little feet, so I have to go. Have fun.

Michael

I'll Miss Sleeping

So here's the thing - I used to love Doctor Who growing up. Peter Davidson and Sylvester McCoy were the Doctors at the time, and I hung out for each episode every week being enchanted and frightened in equal measure.

Then the show was cancelled and I grew up, until when the series was revived I was too busy to watch. If an episode was on TV when I was flicking channels I'd try and give it time, but when you have so many other things to do it carried on just passing me by.

Until yesterday, when I decided to make an effort to get back into it. So I googled what episodes to begin with and....

...look, this is a long winded way of saying the Weeping Angels are effing terrifying and I'm never sleeping again.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

He's making a list, he's checking it twice

He's going to find out who's naughty or nice

Santa Claus is not subject to the data protection act

Well, it's that time of year again when the world turns just that little bit more crazy. Count that double for me - I'm still getting used to a southern hemisphere Christmas where "Oh the weather outside is frightful" means a whole different thing and the outside Christmas lights are solar powered.

But even though my day job knocks off next week I do not, nosiree. First off I've been contracted by Mantic Games to write some more background for their incoming Warpath wargame. I've already done some with their Deadzone: Infestation tabletop game, so this is familiar ground, but fairly in depth, but I'll get through it.

Secondly, and more importantly, Brood Parasites is chugging along nicely on Patreon, and need more words for the engine. The first audio chapter is up on YouTube and backer can expect chapter two before the week is out and the fifth chapter to their audiobooks before Christmas (thank you, guys!), plus I have to chase up the finished artwork for the cover. This is hugely exciting, but fair time intensive. But you know what? I wouldn't have it any other way.

And then of course there's the matter of Christmas with two little boys. But they're good kids and very reasonably choose to sleep every night (with a loose interpretation of 'choose'), so there's always time at night... in between Doctor Who episodes.

Anyway, may your December be filled with happiness and good cheer and I'll see you on the other side.

Michael

Juggling Writing and... Writing

Alternate title - State of the Pate #1

In case you missed it (and why did you miss it? I've talked of barely anything else for the past month) I launched Brood Parasites on Patreon early last month, a serialised steampunk novel, and I've been getting quite a few positive messages about it..... and I also keep trying to the type the title as 'Brood Pasties' which may or may not mean I'm constantly peckish.

Anyway, it's going well so far.  Not a great many backers, but making enough to buy a yacht (even a small one) was never my aim with Brood rather to just get people reading my work.  I can only guess from the messages people are, but the the thing with hosting something such as a project on a different site means you lose any sense of traffic.  Which is a pain, but then again the trade off is I gain potential access to all the traffic on Patreon.com.

So, we're plodding along happily, up to Chapter Three already and an audio version of each chapter on the way.  And by the Second Law of Sod a massive freelance piece of work falls in my lap.

Just before Christmas.

When my wife's cousin will be coming from overseas and we'll be hosting.

Yah, it's like that.

I said in the project's opening page paying work would have to come first, but you can't half tempt fate by beginning something new and big.

However, in a very un-Michael like move I am prepared!  I wrote a very long way into Brood before I started just for such an eventuality.  I could very easily do nothing on Brood until this freelance project is over, and the Patreon would jug on its merry way.  I won't do that, of course - any feedback or suggestions will be taken on board, but the thing is I'm prepared if need be.  Preparation and being aware of your possible workload is key, especially when you have readers and clients relying on your output.

So, it looks like I'm in for a hectic Christmas and new year, but it's going to be hectic with decorating the house, little boys opening presents, and creating, for which I have you to be thankful to.

Michael

News From The Front..... /Pathe Voice

There is no other word for this. It's awesome. Just awesome.

War photographer Matthew Callahan has used every gram of his professional experience (and his admirable collection of Clone Trooper toys) to document the conflict of the Clone Wars, and the results are staggering...

There are so many more, and they're all worth your time checking them out on either Matthew's website or Instagram.

Michael

Deadball - Drainpipes for Strike Posts

Isn't it, wasn't it, mmh? (if you were a teenager in 90s Britain that's hilarious, trust me).

Yes! Mantic Games has just released 'Drainpipes for Strike Posts', an anthology of short stories based around their wildly successful Dreadball game. It features stories from such talents as Guy Haley, David Guymer and, ooh, me!

The Dreadball universe is nice and open, and what's lots of fun to write in, I hope you like it. The anthology is available through Mantic Digital for thethe low price of three British Pound, guvna. SO why wouldn't you go read it?

Michael

Brood Parasites Chapter Two, and Some Audio Book News

So let's get the immediate out of the way, Brood Parasites Chapter Two is up on Patreon for your reading pleasure. Go read, go nuts.

Next, after receiving the final audio version of my story 1884, I can now say that Brood Parasites will also be getting an audio version! The book will be read by a talented voice actor friend, Kenneth Craig, who's voice runs like melted chocolate.... ahem, sorry about that.

Anyway, chapter one will be available to one and all, and after that the files will be accessible by patrons only. But you are a patron, right...?

1884 in Living Audio

I just received the final recording of the audio version of my story 1884, published in Cthulhu Lives! from Ghostwoods Books, and my but is it a cracker. And voiced by Alisadir Stewart too, he who owns and voices many of the Escape Artists pod casts.

I couldn't have asked for a better person to voice a bleak horror story.The full collection will be released on Audible soon, and you better believe I'll be bringing it up here.

Hey Ho, Here We Go

And so it begins.

After all the hinting, on Sunday I began a serialised novel on Patreon. So far so-as-much-as-expected-it-would-be, although I haven’t pushed the project beyond my own Twitter and Facebook accounts yet. It’s hard to try and drum up a buzz when all you have is one chapter up. The rest shall come, but I have s schedule and it shall be kept. This is a serialised novel. Not Nam. There are rules.

But what I’d like to do here is address why Patreon. Why not go the traditional publishing route of approaching an agent and then hitting the established publishers, or putting the whole thing finished on Amazon? Well, for a few reasons. I’d always thought traditional publishing would be the way forward. I even have a published friend who said they would give my finished MS to their agent, bypassing the dread slush pile. But the thing is, I want control. The horror stories creeping ever insistently into the news about how writer’s pay is going forever down (while big name publishers’ profits are going up) meant I didn’t want a part of that rank pie. You know Amy Schumer? She seems nice. But the news she was recently paid $8m for a single book of her life (she’s my age and hasn’t lived through a war – how interesting could it be?) automatically made me think, “And how many mid-tier authors were shuffled off the pile to make room for her?” I didn’t want to be one of those authors, deemed unworthy of attention if I don’t make the New York Times bestseller list every release.

So why not Amazon kindle?

Because hundreds of thousands of others have already had the same thought. It’s hard to be heard amid all that noise. Of course many do, and they work for it. But with that work comes a large dose of luck. Luck is of course essential in any endeavour, but launching a book on the good ship Kindle requires a good dose more than usual.

And also, and here comes my socialist sense of fairness again, and call me crazy if you want, but I think a company, especially one as profitable as Amazon, should pay their taxes.

So, where does that leave me? I wondering the same thing when I learnt about Patreon. Ongoing crowd funding support and, and this was the big sell, an open conversation with backers. It gives the opportunity for communication directly with the consumers of your art in a way which hasn’t been available before.

So, in a nutshell, that’s why. It’s a little more scary doing it this way. The idea of someone looking at a finished product and taking or leaving it is one think, the idea of someone taking Brood Parasites now and leaving it midway through and me seeing it is something else entirely. But I still hold this is the way for me. Let’s see how it goes.

Michael.

Almost Ready...

The story begins, October 2015.

Something Twisted This Way Comes...

To Patreon or Not to Patreon

I love a good crowdfund. How else could I have the chance to invest in a flying bicycle, a watermelon holder, or pay a guy I'll never meet to make and enjoy his own potato salad? Nohow, that's how. And crowdfunding has given rise to Patreon, a site designed to help the creatives among to us to help fund our art.

I've been looking at Patreon for a while now. It's an interesting beast, allowing artists to publish their output and ask for funding from the marketplace at large and asking for support to help them develop. Just a quick glance will show the breadth of work on there; poetry, cartoon, music, videos, short stories, comedy, journalism... but no novels.I've been thinking about it and I believe novels aren't suited to being Patreonised. Their elongated narratives and the amount of time a reader is required to sink into one for the ultimate satisfaction of an ending doesn't exactly fit the open-ended nature of what Patreon does.So, I though, what if the nature of the narrative changed?See, here's the thing. I have a novel. I've written it. Three times now. Each time the story changes, now aspects the world are revealed, new characters introduced. If I keep this up I'm going to have a never ending story no one but me shall ever read, and I know I will never be able to move on until it's told.But what if the story was not just mine to tell? What if what I needed to be able to finish this story was help not just from my alpha readers, but the reading community as a whole?Trying to map my decision making process is an exercise in futility, but from that point I reached the conclusion that the only way I'll find piece and be able to share the story with everyone was to have everyone help in its telling. Imagine a novel length choose your own adventure story with me loosely guiding the reader. Expect the serialised novel Brood Parasites to begin on Patreon in the next month. I hope you come on this journey of discovery with me.Michael

The Year's Best Australian Horror and Fantasy 2014

I'm so excited to be able to announce this I'm not even going to bother with a joke first. I know, there's a first time for everything though.

A story of mine has been judged good enough to be included in the Year's Best Australian Fantasy and Horror 2014 anthology from Ticonderoga Publications!

  

• Alan Baxter, “Shadows of the Lonely Dead” [Suspended in Dusk]
• James Bradley, “The Changeling” [Fearsome Magics]
• Imogen Cassidy, “Soul Partner” [Aurealis 74]
• David Conyers & David Kernot, “The Bullet & The Flesh” [World War Cthulhu]
• Terry Dowling, “The Corpse Rose” [Nightmare Carnival]
• Thoraiya Dyer, “The Oud” [Long Hidden Anthology]
• Jason Franks, “Metempsychosis” [SQ Magazine]
• Michelle Goldsmith, “Of Gold and Dust” [Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Maga 60]
• Michael Grey, “1884” [Cthulhu Lives: An Eldrich Tribute to H.P.Lovecraft]
• Stephanie Gunn, “Escapement” [Kisses by Clockwork]
• Lisa L. Hannett & Angela Slatter, “Vox” [The Female Factory]
• Gerry Huntman, “Of The Colour Tumeric, Climbing on Fingertips” [Night Terrors III]
• Rick Kennett, “Dolls for Another Day” [The Ghosts & Scholars Book of Shadows: Vol 2]
• Charlotte Kieft, “Chiaroscuro” [Disquiet]
• SG Larner, “Kneaded” [Phantazein]
• Claire McKenna, “Yard” [Use Only As Directed]
• Andrew J. McKiernan, “A Prayer for Lazarus” [Last Year, When We Were Young]
• Faith Mudge, “Signature” [Kaleidoscope: Diverse YA Science Fi]
• Jason Nahrung, “The Preservation Society” [Dimension6]
• Emma Osbourne, “The Box Wife” [Shock Totem: Curious Tales of the Macabre & Twisted #9]
• Angela Rega, “Shedding Skin” [Crossed Genres]
• Tansy Rayner Roberts, “The Love Letters of Swans” [Phantazein]
• Angela Slatter, “The Badger Bride” [Strange Tales IV]
• Cat Sparks, “New Chronicles of Andras Thorn” [Dimension6 Annual Collection 2014]
• Anna Tambour, “The Walking-stick Forest” [Tor.com]
• Kyla Ward, “Necromancy” [Spectral Realms #1]
• Kaaron Warren, “Bridge of Sighs” [Fearful Symmetries: An Anthology of Horror]
• Janeen Webb, “Lady of the Swamp” [Death at the Blue Elephant]

I'm honoured to be alongside so many great authors, and it's always fun to get new publication buddies and to be featured with a few old ones.

The collection will be published in October for anyone interested in having their sleep interrupted.  Until then, ciao.

Michael

Asshats and Mudlfaps

I like the word asshat. It speaks to my inner 13 year old. And mudflap rhymes, so that's good enough for me. but this post is mainly about asshats, not mudflaps, and in particular asshats of the depressed doggy variety.

The whole Hugo, sad and rabid puppy thingumy has been written about by many people, most of them more knowledgeable and closer to the subject than me, which was one reason I, fledgling writer that I am, haven't bothered. But now I do have something to say, so here we go.

Oh, it occurs to me dear reader that you may not know what I'm talking about. Well, you could go google it (go ahead, I'll wait), but the short of it is some white male authors don't particularly like non white male authors and have decided to organise block voting to 'bring back the glory days' (their words, not mine) of white male authors in sci fi and fantasy. They don't say that, of course. Evil never advertises it as such. They dress it up with blah di blah di blah. But anyway, that sums it up.

Thing is a lot of people, George RR Martin among them, have said this issue might end up breaking the Hugos, and I really don't think we have anything to worry about. Thing is, the sadsacks need to work at being racist, misogynistic pricks. While the world turns on and inclusion becomes ever the norm these throws need to actively work at being hateful. They need to go and try and convince enough other people to be hateful with them. And the thing is, while hate often is a lifelong thing, life, as it were, isn't. There's a certain amount of die off when it comes to stuff like this. Exhibit A: KKK membership isn't what it once was.

You only have to look at the rates of female and gay authors in the Hugo honour roll over time to see what happens when things are left to themselves. People begin to enjoy good writing for its own sake, and not give a damn at the colour of the hand holding the pen. Which is great and as it should be.

I actually had a fairly long diatribe mapped out in my head on this subject, but given my point is "Don't worry, racists die eventually" I really shouldn't take the piss and go on longer than necessary.

See you later people, and remember what the great ones said: Be excellent to one another.

Michael

A Glimpse at the Amateur Wordsmith

Alarm goes off at 5:50am.  Get out of bed - QUIETLY! Waking a sleeping Love of my Life (tm) at this hour is never a good idea, and if either of the children has even the inkling of an idea Daddy is awake and I kiss my morning writing window goodbye to cuddling up on the sofa and watching Scooby-Doo.... actually that doesn't sound s-no!  There is work to be done.

Sneak to the kitchen, avoiding all the floorboards I know through trial and error creak.  Put on water to boil (no kettle for me (too loud), so I need to go old skool and get a pan on the gas).  Get laptop out.  Realise I forgot to turn the volume down last night, so the gentle Windows log on chime sounds like a fire engine wired into a fog horn.

Freeze, listen for the sound of scampering feet.  Nothing.  Breath a sigh of relief, rub the sleep from my eyes and get typing.

Struggle with the suffocating feeling that all art is masturbation and who the hell am I to think I could force my writing on other people, and didn't I know there're Scooby-Doo episodes to watch?  Realise I just wasted five minutes, and pull myself together, ignore that inner voice and get writing.

6:30, and time to get ready for work.  There follows a whirlwind of making sandwiches, heating porridge, finding school uniforms and cleaning teeth (along with the usual "Look, the Batman and shark toothbrushes are equally good, there's no need to argue over them" debate).

7:30 and time to go.  Get to the train station, pray that should there be limited seating you don't get on with any elderly ladies or pregnant women (writing is important, but not that important).  Train arrives; cue Hunger Games style contest with high schoolers to get a seat - Ha!  In your face, hopeful youth!  Get laptop out (again), revel for once in the lack of Australian wifi connectivity, and get in an uninterrupted 40 minutes.

8:30, and the day job..... you really don't need to know about this bit.

12:00  Lunch time, woohoo!  Get out the laptop (again x2)  Gobble down a sandwich and get writing.  Realise you forgot to put on your out of office alert and accidentally answer your phone.  Automatically say "Uh-huh.... yeah...totally... yeah I have capacity" while I'm not listening as my mind wonders if Character A would really say that to Character B.

1:00  Back to work, but first to check the word count - score!  Then I see my work in-box and wonder where all this extra work came from.  Vaguely remember something about a phone call and curse self.

5:00, off we go, walk to the furthest train station from office to try and get a seat, work out elbows with people who just want to sit and listen to music (don't they realise what character A is about to say?).

6:00 Home, happiness, family and Lego.  Mainly Lego.  And convincing two young boys they really want to eat their meals and not play with Lego.  Did I mention Lego?

7:30 Kids in bed (minus Lego... hopefully), tidy up with Love of My Life (tm).  She tells me about her day.  I wonder if that's how Character B would have put it.  Accidentally call her Character B's name.  Now Love of my life (tm) thinks I'm either an idiot or having an affair.

9:00 Grab an extra hour before bed.  Thinks about how Love of my Life (tm) said Character B's words (OK, she didn't, but things often happen in my head which don't in reality).  Compare them to what I wrote.  Delete everything from that day and start again.

Remember, Terry, Death Can't Remember How the Knights Move

If it's wrong for a 36 year old man to cry at the passing of someone he met only once and briefly I don't care.Last night the world - not the literary one, the real one - lost one its great individuals.  Knowing it was coming does not make it easier, not for us and I can only say not for the people close to Sir Terry, although perhaps the sheer number of people to whom he mattered greatly will be some comfort to each other in our collective grief.We'll all have stories of how Terry's writing became important to us.  Mine was he saved me from myself.  Perhaps a tad over dramatic, but that's the point - he made me want to be a writer.  No, actually he didn't; he made me want to tell stories.  The two are different.  One has airs, the other don't, as Granny Weatherwax would say.Not many people can truly say they left the world in a better place then when they entered it.  As the man himself wrote, "No one is actually dead until the ripple they cause in the world die away" so He will be with us for a long time yet.Good byre, Terry, and thank you.Michael

Merry Christmas!

A blast from the past today.  a 100 word Christmas poem.  Enjoy, and Merry Christmas.

'Twas the night before Christmas, and throughout the house

Creature was stirring eating louse, mouse and spouse.

Nary a soul was safe From tentacle’d grasps,

Pulling all from their beds To scream their last gasp.

Naughty or nice, Creature does not care,

It’s boys, girls and parents Creature seeks to ensnare.

Bones fill its bellies allowing it to grow,

Oozing through windows Into the snow.

Soon there’ll be blood flowing throughout the streets,

Yo-ho-hos there won’t be, instead; there’ll be meat.

Remember this, child, as you slip into sleep:

Step from bed once more, and your soul Creature will reap.

Sleep tight and merry Christmas all!

Deadzone: Infestation in pictures

Since Mantic Games have announded the first expansion to their Deadzone game and what it will (vaguely) entail, I've been pretty much spending my whole time telling anyone who'll listen I've been writing the background and story for it.  You could say I was excited, and you'd be  on the money.Anyhoo, last Saturday Mantic had an open day at their Nottingham HQ, and wouldn't you know it they had some artwork and renders for show based on my notes.  It's like someone reached into my mind and tore the images free....It's gratifyling and thrilling to see that what imagined tranlsated well into through writing that other people saw something similar in their own head.  It's kinda like telepathy..... I must be sure to sure this power for good. Michael