Do you have a favorite Shakespeare play? There are many that I quite enjoy, including Hamlet, Macbeth, Richard II, and Richard III. If you prefer them in movie form, I suggest Branagh's Hamlet, as well the first three episodes of the Hollow Crown series.

I thought about a couple things this week. I may have thought about more than a couple things, but there were at least a couple things that I thought about. The depth of thought wasn't great, but at least there was thought.

First, I recognized that it is imperative to write everyday, or at least 5 days a week (which is my goal). Writing daily keeps the juices flowing and makes it easier to get into that zone where the ideas and the words which convey them come by the trainload instead of by the teacup. After a long break from writing, the designated neurons and special gray matter grow lethargic. It sometimes feels like slogging through a tar pit while pulling a brontosaurus. However, when the ideas are already at the surface, it's a roller coaster ride of fun.

If you frequent goodreads, there are a few lists on which I would really like the books in my Tomahawks and Dragon Fire series to appear (my attempt at including these links did not work):

Goodreads gunpowder fantasy list

Goodreads flintlock fantasy list

Goodreads best alternate history list

Should any of you wish to go there and add Threading the Rude Eye, Power to Hurt, Clamorous Harbingers, and Promise of Carnage and Flame to any or all of these lists, there's really nothing I would do to stop you.

Additionally, those of you who availed yourselves of the opportunity to acquire the series (so far) at the free and discounted special I ran for you, please post your best reviews on Amazon and goodreads.

My second thought (not on second thought, merely a thought that came after some other thought) was a Shower Thought (TM) which is where I often get ideas or work out writing problems. This particular Show Thought concerned The Lord of the Rings. There is a scene in The Two Towers which is memorably conveyed in Peter Jackson's movie in which Gandalf brings Theoden back to himself, expelling Saruman's influence and sending Wormtongue back to his corrupt master. Why I found myself thinking of this, I'll leave to you to wonder. Let me know if you have any theories about it.

Finally, I recently read Shakespeare's Timon of Athens, and Anne Bellet's Justice Calling. While Timon won't make my top three Shakespeare plays, I did enjoy it, and it sparked some ideas I plan to use in the dystopian thriller which I'm currently writing. I highlighted a few phrases from the play. I'll share two:

"Ah! When the means are gone that buy this praise, The breath is gone whereof this praise is made."

and

"All villains that do stand by thee are pure."

As for Justice, I came away disappointed. The story (the first in a series) is supposed to take place in Idaho--that's why I picked it up (for free)--but I found nothing in it with an Idaho flavor. The location could have been changed with little to no affect on the story. Additionally, I found that it contained too much profanity for my tastes. Your mileage may vary. It's free if you want to try it for yourself.

It has been a couple years since I read them, but I do want to recommend Ken Jorgensen's Kusunoki Chronicles. This series is set in medieval Japan. It's fantasy with a samurai twist. Jorgensen is another Idaho writer and I really enjoy the way he tells a story. The first book in the series is Pride of the Samurai.

Drop me a line or a comment. I always reply.

Would you like to be an alpha reader for my dystopian thriller? If so, let me know.

Stanley