Monday, August 29, 2022

Side hustle that saved me

 

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Side hustle that saved me: I found a way to make up to 1 000€ in basically 2 days as a side hustle and I would love to share it with you because it helped me through the worst time of my life. Kindle Edition


AUTHOR INTERVIEW -- T.G. BRYANT -- "THE CANVAS ADVENTURES"

 




T.G BRYANT

THE CANVAS ADVENTURES


Tell your readers a little about yourself, where you grew up, where you live now, where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you.

I was born and raised in Houston County, GA. I have two older siblings and am married to my beautiful wife, Shannon. We have a dog, Lilly, who is the ‘best good girl’ in the world. We also have twelve nieces and nephews.

I went to school at Warner Robins High and graduated in 2005. I attended and graduated from Georgia Military College and Georgia College & State University.

I have written several other books and comedic scripts for the stage. My favorite authors are C. S. Lewis and Lois Lowry. I truly consider writing a cathartic hobby.

Outside of writing, I enjoy performing in community theatre, particularly comedies.

What inspired you to author this book?

It took me a few years to finish my debut novel, The Canvas Adventures. I wanted to write something that was both timely and timeless. Meaning, I wanted to write about bullying, as I feel we’ve seen a recent rise in social media harassment. However, bullying isn’t new. I also wanted to write a book that helped someone overcome that type of abuse. Writing a book like that takes time and, in my case, about three years!

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Where did you get the inspiration for your book’s cover?

I told my designer I wanted something that looked like the classic books I remembered reading when I was younger. I wanted a truly original piece. I didn’t want a stock image. The saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover” is not true. If a book doesn’t have a captivating image, you’ve already lost their interest-no matter how great the contents are inside.

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Who has been the most significant influence on you personally and as a writer?

Personally-my maternal grandfather. He never met a stranger. He loved life, and others loved him, too. I like to think I inherited his best traits.

As a writer, I would say my second-grade teacher. My teacher had us write daily in ‘reading logs’ and encouraged us to write freely. I loved this part of the school day. I remember one day, she touched my shoulder, looked at what I wrote, and said, “You’ll be a writer one day.” That has always stuck with me!

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What were the struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get this book written?

Any writer will tell you that writer's block is the first thing that always gets in the way of finishing a good story. The trick is to not force yourself to finish. You sometimes need to take a break. That may be an hour, a week, a month, or longer. Don’t’ rush the process just to finish. You want to provide the best product. You readers deserve your best!

Tell your readers about your book.

The Canvas Adventures takes the main character, 12-year-old Gabriel, on an unexpected journey. He is literally pushed into a magical oil canvas painting and transported into an unfamiliar world. It’s written in a way for children who may struggle to find their place or niche can relate to and learn from in a captivating way.

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Who is your target audience, and why?

My target audience is YA readers who enjoy stories filled with relatable characters. I like my target audience to know that they are capable of anything! I like to write characters people know, characters people hate, ones they root for, and ones who have struggles, just like all of us.

What do you consider your greatest success in life?

Understanding that despite the fact I may be different, I’m loved. I’m loved for who I am. I know that doesn’t sound like a success. However, many people go through life knowing others are loved. But if you ask them, “How about you? Are you loved?” That’s a different story. Some people will never understand that not only are they capable of being loved, but they are capable of loving others. My success in life is recognizing those things and helping others see it themselves.

What one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your genre?

My novel is for everyone! I never sought out to write a book for children with autism. However, I have found that several of my readers are on the spectrum. It’s a blessing to hear, “My child loved your book. He couldn’t put it down.” I’ve also heard, “My child felt different until he realized that being different isn’t bad. Your book showed him that he’s loved and capable of loving.” I love those moments!

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Incubi & Succubi Paperback by Aldo Quagliotti -- Author Interview

 



Aldo Quagliotti

Tell your readers a little about yourself, where you grew up, where you live now, where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you.

I grew up in a tiny village in Northern Italy called Desenzano. I was a lacustrine creature for most of my childhood until I started travelling around Europe and lived in Austria, Cambridge, and Peterborough before establishing myself in London, where I’ve been for the last 5 years. The common denominator of all my peregrinations has always been writing. I started venturing out into competitions back in 2007, back in Italy, where I was published in several anthologies such as “Il Suono Del Silenzio,” “I Pensieri Della Buonanotte,” “La Donna.” In 2019 I published my first collection of poems in English, called “Japanese Tosa,” followed by “Confessions of A Pregnant Man,” and now – finally, “Incubi & Succubi!” In the meantime, I have been lucky enough to have walked onto different stages in London, like Flo vortex, Paper Tiger, Poetical Word. My poems have been chosen to be part of national and international webzines, magazines, podcasts, and installations. It has been fantastic to see my verses breezing and rippling, travelling the world from USA, Canada, Ireland, Brazil, and India! They have seen places I haven’t been yet, and this is sensational! As a foreign author, I believe I’ve had an enormous privilege to have my heart aligned with a smoldering desire to experiment with words and sounds I didn’t master from the beginning. It’s been a work-in-progress, always trying to exude my visions without losing them in translation. I’ve been wrestling with the perpetual typos of my soul - trying to let myself go the call of inspiration, hoping it wouldn’t be a Svengali! And I must admit, this has been the bit I’ve always treasured, especially because I love languages and read and write in English, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese.

What inspired you to author this book?

My book was born in the midst of the Pandemic, it would simply be my journal when everything was deeply uncertain, and everyone was sculpting an alternative reality whilst stuck in their own quotidianly. If the only way out was through, I had no choice but to follow the diagonal way and let my thoughts metamorphose and take over. I remembered being thunderstruck by a book by Craig Yoe called “Sexology.” The story of the demons called Incubi & Succubi that nightly flirt with us got me molecularly connected to the dreams and nightmares that my brain was propelling non-stop. I was writing every day, and my ideas would get lost in recipes, appointment reminders, and even toilet paper, so I decided to note them down in a notebook to monitor those unpredictable waveforms - a sort of dram journal for those visions that I couldn’t escape. My third collection blossomed like this as a potential answer to all those questions swarming around my head. How can we shape our minds to escape the savagery of these dark times? How can we train our imagination to create alternatives? How can we discipline our spirit to enjoy these moments of pleasure?

Where did you get the inspiration for your book’s cover?


When the book was concluded and an author feels the endpoint, somehow it was amazingly liberating! I remember texting my sister, asking her to create its book, and giving her carte blanche. We spent a lot of time talking about shortcomings and fears, panicking that COVID would be the final stage of the concept of humanity we had known. Was it all about to end? What would be a great season finale if not having a creature out there with my poems and her illustration? That felt right, and one week after our phone conversation, she sent me this cover, which is deeply inspired by an oil painting by Swiss artist Henry Fuseli called “The Nightmare.” I wanted the demon to be rigorously crouched on her naked body - to show vulnerability and the beauty of the human body exposed and revealed, fragile and compact, probably mutated into something else forever after two years of virus and variations.


Who has been the most significant influence on you personally and as a writer?

 

Reading! I have always been in love with poetry because of its anarchic nature, its power to evoke without revealing, steering philosophy into spirituality, and the perfect connection paving the way for understanding. I have always loved reading so much; the meaning of life per se has been played through the electric amplification of all the essays I’ve devoured with gusto! I wouldn’t be the person I am if I hadn’t spent most of my afternoons reading Melville, Emily Dickinson, Montale, Alda Merini, Antonia Pozzi, Poe, Tolkien, Aldo Busi, Salinas, Saramago, and so on. They planted the seed of doubt in my head. I have dragged this uncertainty forward, creating my gossamer spiderweb of beauty through essays, biographies, and horror books. Before the pandemic, I also attended spoken word venues in the last few years. It was generally surprising to get inundated by so much talent and many variations of poetry! I found myself in the wrong place all the time, but that would teach me a lot about the endless formulas people would embrace to convey their artistic expression. Even if I didn’t always appreciate the poets on the stage, I would always come back enriched and questioned, and that’s something I love! Also, Love! I’m an advocate of this feeling, and I’m incredibly passionate about what I do. I feel, so a shoutout to my boyfriend. He is a constant source of inspiration for me.


What were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get this book written?

I can’t remember a specific challenge with the writing process - if not the usual chaotic input that would lead me to throw up thoughts everywhere (but later on, I grouped them all and identified a fil rouge for a concept poetry collection). An obstacle was definitely when my previous publishing house demanded to change the cover because it would contravene the code of conduct. I got very hurt by that decision! I couldn’t negotiate the cover, not only because it was my sister’s hard work but also because I loved it, but mostly because it would be a medieval way to reiterate that female bodies can’t be shown, and we are fed up with this witch purge! So, I took it on the chin and walked elsewhere, even if I knew this would mean waiting for 6 months to find the right one again that would believe in my work. It worked out, and I’m glad I stuck to my decision.

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It's hard to describe your own work, but borrowing the words of my publisher, “This is a work that rejuvenates the depleted, those demons feeding on you and haunting you. So far, I have received some lovely feedback, with people saying things like, “His imagery is profoundly inspired and at times pretty awkward, even when he veers away from grammar rules and opts for prosaic text. His guttural poetry is certainly not for everyone,” or “There is a dark subtext that rubs shoulders with a quirky sense of humor and some hopeless romanticism. Highly recommended.”

I like to think that everyone can relate to my work. Still, if I had to identify a potential target, maybe I would say the outcasts, the so-called minorities. Definitely, the LGBQT+ community, people who have crossed similar paths or they have found themselves unprotected by our society.

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What do you consider your greatest success in life?
 

I’m happy that three different publishing houses supported my publication and believed in my talent. I would have never considered bending the rules and submitting my work to a vanity press (and sadly, this is more and more common as a practice by emerging writers) because it wouldn’t have made sense for what I was trying to achieve, which is a connection with a potential audience. My biggest success has been overcoming my paranoia and insecurities and letting it go, even when It’s not perfect or immaculate. It’s still what I am to the purest form.


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What one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your genre?

 

It’s tough to answer this question - especially without falling off into a narcissistic statement! But what I truly believe and can guarantee from my end is that everything I write doesn’t aim to fit anywhere specific or to please anyone or any previous agreement. I write because I can’t live without tracking my steps and fueling my imagination; my existence would be meaningless if I didn’t aspire to understand why I am here and what I’m destined to do. Having toured many poetic nights, I can say that this would already be something setting me apart from many other authors, who I don’t believe are fully honest when they either write or perform. Their attention would be addressed to the applause or recognition. Luckily, I have never worried about taming my verses beforehand to tailor their echo to people’s reactions.







Sunday, August 28, 2022

RESCUE - AN INDEPENDENT FILM

 


JASON LOHMAN

PRODUCER/DIRECTOR/SCREENWRITER

CHECK OUT THE FILM





"Rescue" Feature film / Movie https://rescue.movie/
SYNOPSIS

"He only wanted his daughter back!" "After the accidental death of Jake's oldest daughter and wife, Jake's only daughter Leah, has been abducted by human traffickers and is being sold to the Cartel. Jake's experience in martial arts, sets out with little clues in hand, and a kali stick in the other." Rescue is a 6 Award Winning film produced by AJLO Productions Filmed in Arizona . This indie action film is not based on a true story or case, however, child abductions, kidnappings, exploitations, and human trafficking are real and happen every day. This film will help bring awareness to the ongoing real crisis of human trafficking. If you see something, say something!

Tell me a little about yourself, where you grew up, where you live now, where you went to school etc. Let them get to know the personal you.

Alexa Lohman (daughter of Jason and Kimberly Lohman) has been in theater since age 7. At age 10, she got the main role as Sarah in the movie Dream Round, and she has been in a few other films since then. Alexa and her parents live in Mesa Arizona and Alexa, also being a native-born in Arizona. In the year 2018, Alexa wanted to do her own YouTube show called "Alexa Big Hands" which was an improv comedy that she performed well in. Her parents helped her with creating her YouTube show. Sometime later, Alexa asked her parents if they could be part of her team in the filmmaking business. Both parents were more than happy to help create what is known today as AJLO Productions, (Alexa Jade Lohman Productions). Jason turned up the gears and studied directing, and producing and even became very proficient in editing. He now creates not only films but also commercials for customers. Jason even helped produce a few other films with other producers along the way.

What inspired you to make this film?

In 2019, I (producer and director of Rescue), saw a news article relating to a child abduction/trafficking bust in Mesa, Arizona. This scenario haunted me as I have a young daughter (Alexa Lohman). Between my daughter being of a young age, and this crime hitting close to home, I wanted to help bring awareness of how easily a young girl, or child, can be abducted in the blink of an eye. My wife Kim and I decided to write our first movie script called Rescue.

Where did you get the inspiration for your film’s poster?

Our movie poster was inspired by the plot of the script. The vision behind the poster was knowing that Alexa would be playing Leah, who would be abducted and then brought to the desert at a rendezvous point to be sold to the cartel. The father "Jake", played by Jason Lohman, is on the trail of the traffickers and fights for her back in the desert. The poster is a great visual for such a rescue.

Who has been the most significant influence on you personally and as a screenwriter?

Watching Alexa's' acting career over the years was a great influence for Jason to spearhead the filmmaking arena. Jason loves producing films with his wife, and now Alexa.

What were your struggles or obstacles you had to overcome to get this film made?

Our film Rescue, being our first indie film, had its up and downs. What normally takes only a few weeks with a good budget by most Hollywood studios, took us several months with a low budget. However, we made sure that all of our crew and actors who helped out were paid fully the day they had worked. We do not want to be those type of producers who tell cast and crew that will only get paid on deferred pay. That's not good practice as a business owner.


Tell me about your film.

Jason Lohman plays Jake, the father, and his daughter Alexa Lohman plays Leah in the film, Rescue. Following the loss of Jake’s wife and oldest daughter to a tragic accident, Leah and Jake are trying to come to grips with their new life. It takes a darker turn when Leah is abducted from the park, in broad daylight.

Jake gets word that Leah has been abducted, which sets Jake on a tumultuous path to get to Leah before Leah is lost forever. Knowing every second counts, Jake, being trained in martial arts, and an ex-vet combat soldier, is now instinctively in pursuit. His will and determination would not falter until he finds his daughter in the possession of the kidnappers as they are selling her to the cartel.

This film does not show any killings. The reason for this is found in an earlier scene when Leah (played by Alexa Lohman) asked her dad, Jake, if he ever killed anybody while he was in the war.  She went on and makes her dad promise her to not ever kill again for any reason. Jake makes a promise he will not kill anyone. However later in the film when Jake realizes she is kidnapped, his urge is to go and badly hurt the kidnappers, but he maintains that urge to a minimum and only maims or knocks them out while rescuing his daughter. Closer to the end of the film Leah asks her dad if they are dead, he states back to her he had made a promise not to do any killing.

 

Who is your target audience, and why?

This film has a touch of awareness element to it. Human kidnappers/traffickers kidnapped a girl and want to sell her. The kidnappers have connections to a seller who happen to be the cartel. This is an action/drama film. Not only is the father fighting the kidnappers, but he also comes toe to toe with the cartel later. The target audience I say would be parents, grandparents, mature kids, or anyone who either already appreciates the seriousness of trafficking and abductions, or anyone who possibly is not yet aware of the magnitude of this problem. In addition, on a lighter note, it is for anyone who loves a good action film about a dad on a quest to saving his daughter.

 

What do you consider your greatest success in life?

Coming from a background of having a few successful businesses in past times, I would say joining forces with Alexa and her inspirational idea to create AJLO Productions. Out of all business endeavors, Kim and I have ever done, we consider AJLO Productions to be the most thrilling and entertaining endeavor we have ever done. "Entertaining" no pun intended.

 

What one unique thing sets you apart from other writers in your genre?

The unique thing that I believe sets our film apart from other indie action films is that while in the film festival circuits, it has won many awards. This was a huge surprise to us. I never imagined a low budget indie film like ours would receive so much recognition, but it did. I just noticed as well that the ratings on its IMDb page are also above our expectations. That is some good stuff there!

It's in Their DNA: What and Why Men and Women Do Not Ask and Do Not Answer

 

Hello Readers:

The biggest mystery is the relationship between a man and a woman. Oh my. I don't know about you, but I don't think I will ever fully grasp the differences. However, today's BOOK OF THE DAY, "It's in Their DNA: What and Why Men and Women Do Not Ask and Do Not Answer" by Dr. Owen Watson, is remarkable and really gave me insight. If you are in a relationship, or looking to find one, you need this book. Stop asking the "What ifs" or saying, "If I only knew." This book does it for you. Order your copy today.

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It's in Their DNA: What and Why Men and Women Do Not Ask and Do Not Answer Hardcover – August 16, 2022