Author: Author Missy Jane

The voices in my head make me write their stories.

Shutterbug Sunday: Jeremy Lucido

For my very first Shutterbug Sunday post I’d like to welcome photographer Jeremy Lucido. He is the very talented pair of eyes behind Starrfucker Magazine. From his site:

“Starrfucker Magazine is a self-printed quarterly homo/foto/art-zine with penis. Created by Los Angeles based Photographer, Jeremy Lucido as an evolution in his Starrfucker brand. The magazine is an photographic illustration of porn to art and art to porn.”


How long have you been capturing the world around you, either professionally or from the first time you picked up a camera?

I was in Jr. High when I first discovered my love for Photography. It was just for fun at first. I took photos of my friends in the neighborhood after school daily. Soon I began to experiment with poses and locations. I would document everything, I shoplifted the film from Walgreens just to be able to afford it as a kid. In high school I was thrown onto the Yearbook staff and that is where I developed technical skills and first realized that hey this could be a career. 


What/who is your favorite subject? Do you find humans difficult or intriguing to shoot?

My favorite subject has always been people… I thrive on the one-on-one connection between model and photographer. 


If you could choose any one person in history, alive or dead, to do a full photo shoot of, who would it be and why?

It would have to Jesus Christ actually…. Not because I am a Christian or even religious. I would just love to see a true honest image of the man. Could you imagine what a true natural photogenic portrait would reveal.


Do you have a fantasy location you would love to shoot? If so, is there a specific subject to go along with it?

I don’t know that I do have a fantasy location. I tend to put full concentration on the subject rather than the background. I love industrial locations so given full access to an old factory in Ostrzeszów, Poland would be amazing.


Jeremy Lucido
www.jeremylucido.comwww.starrfuckermagazine.com

Jeremy Lucido
Starrfucker Magazine/Blog
http://starrfucker.net

SK Saturday: Wizard and Glass

And so it is done! Yes it took me three weeks instead of one, but I am finally finished with the fourth installment of The Dark Tower series, Wizard and Glass. Why did it take me so long? Well, it was a longer read than the three before it, and life has been a little busier. But the real reason, I finally confessed to myself as I wiped the tears away, is the story itself. In this book we learn what a true tragedy Roland’s life has been and what he has sacrificed in the name of The Tower.

Most of this book is a flashback to Roland’s youth, a time when he becomes a gunslinger and passes his test of manhood. He learns many harsh life lessons, kills for the first time and meets the love of his life. Just knowing what we do of his future self tells the reader this love is doomed. After all, there is no love present at his side in his quest. It is a tragic tale that must be lived through as he tells it again to his ka-tet in one endless night around the campfire. As Eddie tells Jake, it’s a western just like all of Roland’s stories. It’s a love story and a tragedy. It’s also a huge chunk of Roland’s personality. It explains much about his motivation and to me is the best of the entire series in revealing just how he thinks. SK often accuses Roland of having a romantic spirit, but I hadn’t really seen or understood what he meant by that until this book. 

The very end of the book, once everyone wakes from Roland’s story telling of his past, is awkward and unnerving to me. They find the emerald city without following a yellow brick road and the Wizard isn’t of Oz. It’s such a strange twist that it felt tacked on as an afterthought to me. It’s the only one of the series so far that has SK’s bad habit of ending the story by whatever means necessary whether it makes any sense or not (see Needful Things, etc). I can’t say I like it. I understand the part where Roland must face the final tragic act of what happened in his youth. I understand SK creating a dramatic exhibition for the telling of that part of the tale. I just don’t understand what all the scenery was for. Did we really need that connection to Jake’s, Susannah’s and Eddie’s worlds? I don’t think so. It kind of sort of worked, but almost took away from the story itself. In short, I didn’t like it.

Now I will finally pick up a fresh installment. Book 4.5 of the series, The Wind Through the Keyhole, is the only one I haven’t read before. No promises on the time-frame at this point.

Shutterbug Sunday: Intro

We can’t all be models. Some of us have to actually know what’s going on with the little gadget that captures the images. In my opinion the photographer is more important than the model. Of course, I’m highly biased since I’ve been a photographer for almost twenty-five years.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my Male Model Monday posts. Tomorrow may be the last one for a few weeks as I’ve run dry of subjects. But, fear not! My next series of posts will be on the magician on the other side of the lens. I’ll be doing a few Shutterbug Sundays for your viewing pleasure. If you have suggestions of a male model or photographer, feel free to send them my info or send me theirs.

Enjoy!

SK Saturday Update III

My dear readers, once again I must cry your pardon (as Roland would say). It appears The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass has gotten the best of me again this week. Even with the holiday I haven’t gotten much further than before. I’ll muddle through it in the next few days and adjust the schedule accordingly next week.

Happy reading!

What Freedom Means To…

I asked my four daughters what the term freedom means to them. And this is what they said:

“It means to me the right to do anything.”

“Freedom means to be free. (To have escaped.)”

“Freedom is the ability to walk down the street without being told how or when to do so.”

“Freedom means to be free. I’m free to go to public school and go places without being harassed.”

To me, freedom is the most basic right I’m afforded as an American, but it’s also a privilege. It is what so many of my fellow Americans have fought and died for. It is what others would take away if given half the chance. It is the best part of being an American and probably the one thing we take for granted the most. Without freedom we wouldn’t be the country we are. Some may argue that would be a good thing, but I disagree. Many Americans have done great things because they had the freedom to do so. I hope one day I can be counted among them.

HAPPY AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY!!!!

MMM: John Quinlan Revisited

The face may look familiar. (If you’re bothering to look at his face.) That would be because John isn’t a stranger to my MMM blog. He was originally featured on June 11th, but is such a sweetheart that he sent me more yummy photos! So my lovely readers, here they are. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have. 😉

You can connect with John here:

That’s a body made for book covers!!


2012 Summer Reading Trail

As a reader, I LOVE finding free stories on the web, especially when it’s by an author I’ve never read before. Free stories are a way to discover new authors, meet new characters and fall in love with new worlds. 

As an author, I LOVE writing stories I can post for free on the web. It’s a way for me to try out new things and experiment in new worlds or with new types of characters I’ve never tried before. It’s a way for me to give voice to some fleeting thoughts I have that might not be substantial enough for a full book. And most importantly, it’s a way for me to attract readers who might not have tried me out yet without asking for their hard earned money.

Last year I was happy to be a part of the Summer Reading Trail. What is it? Exactly what it sounds like. It’s a series of free stories in various genres by various authors offered during the summer months. Every single month has it’s own list of stories. June is already available. I’m sorry to say I didn’t prepare a story quickly enough for it, but I promise I have one ready now.

Click on the link at the end of this post to see the full 2012 Summer Reading Trail. You’ll find a freebie from me for July entitled Mating Instinct. It’s a whole new world I’ve decided to play around in. I hope ya’ll enjoy it.

http://summertreadingtrail.weebly.com/

SK Saturday: Update II

Happy Saturday! This is supposed to be the post where I review the fourth installment of The Dark Tower series, Wizards and Glass. Unfortunately this past week didn’t leave me much time for reading. I’m only about a quarter of the way through the book, and it’s a long one. I’m hoping next week will be better on my reading schedule. We’ll see. For now, here’s an updated, tentative, schedule:

July 7th: The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and GlassJuly 14th: The Dark Tower IV.V: The Wind Through the KeyholeJuly 21st: The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla
July 28th: The Dark Tower VI: Song of SusannahAugust 4th: The Dark Tower VIIAugust 11th: Little Sisters of Eluria (Short Story in Everything’s Eventual)
August 18th: Final thoughts and impressions

Thanks for stopping by!

MMM: The Sexy Scott Nova

Stats

Name: Scott Nova

Age: 35

Birthplace:  Born Roanoke, Virginia but raised in Pittsburgh, PA. Currently live in Columbus, Ohio

Height: 6’1”

Weight: 180

Eye/Hair Color: Blue eyes, brown hair

Shoe size: 10 (and yes, that is just a myth LOL)

Find him here: https://www.facebook.com/ScottNovaCM


It’s great to have author friends not only because we’re awesome, but also because we usually know exactly who graces the covers of our books. Thanks to my Samhain buddy, Nikki Duncan, I found this week’s sexy offering: Scott.


How long have you been modeling professionally? At what age did you decide to model?

I was always drawn to modeling from my early twenties. But I was always so skinny that I didn’t have anything to set me apart. I started really working hard at making money at this, and making it a large part of my life in 2009 when I started to seriously train as a bodybuilder. In 2011, I attended RT-LA as a contestant in the Mr. Romance contest, and that kick started what I hope, is the beginning of a very lucrative and fun career in cover modeling.

Have you traveled for your job? If so where was your favorite assignment, if not where is your dream assignment?

I’ve not done a LOT of traveling. I’ve traveled to LA for RT’s Mr. Romance. Then again for RT-Chicago in 2012. Recently I shot with Hot Damn Designs in Cincinnati and had a blast doing that. One of my favorite shoots that I’ve done, and mainly because it was so different, was shooting at the Ohio State Reformatory in Mansfield, Ohio. This is the location where Shawshank Redemption was filmed. I love horror, anything horror, so getting to shoot in a place that is supposedly haunted, was definitely cool.

When not modeling, what hobbies do you enjoy?

I enjoy nothing else more than simply playing and spending time with my son and gorgeous girlfriend, Lesley. I also enjoy my gym time as I try to perfect my body and I’m a total gearhead/geek. LOL *smiles*
I’ve got a total love for all things magical like Dungeons N Dragons and Forgotten Realms. I also love to work on, improve and race my 1970 Chevy Nova that I built with my father.
But, late at night, if I can’t sleep….you can catch me watching my food porn: Diners, Drive-in’s & Dives or Modern Marvels. ROFL ..hey when you diet like me, there is such thing as food porn. *grin*
Thanks to all those that have helped me to make it this far in cover modeling, and I’m only getting started, ladies…so keep your eye’s open.
Thank you Missy for this interview opportunity!

Thank you, Scott! My eyes will definitely be open for more of you. 😉

*Photos by:

Ken Tilley of Fotoimages by Ken
Renee of Fan the Flame Photography

SK Saturday: The Wastelands

This week I read the third book in The Dark Tower series, The Wastelands. I had almost completely forgotten the events of this book from my first reading a few years ago until I began reading it again. Who can forget Shardik, the maggot infested seventy-foot bear? Then there’s Blaine the Mono, Oy the billy-bumbler and the older than dirt people of River Crossing. This is the book where Jake comes back into the fold and Roland swears to never let him drop again.

Stephen King is the master of foreshadowing. I’m not certain that’s a good thing as it often starts to grate on my nerves by the middle of his books. However, in this one Roland’s constant worry about just how much he’ll sacrifice for the Dark Tower feels more like introspection on the character’s part than foretelling by the author. It works. It colors Roland’s innermost thoughts and gives the reader another aspect of the gunslinger to consider. Will he let Jake drop if it comes down to it? I honestly don’t remember but have a bad feeling about it. 

In this installment Eddie and Susannah grow closer and she has adopted his last name. They can’t have had an actual marriage ceremony of course, though I think that might have been a nice touch. Surely Roland should have the knowledge of how to bind them in his world according to his customs. But SK doesn’t go that far. He lets them share a last name and sleep together. He mentions them making love at least once that I recall but doesn’t dwell on it. They share a few kisses though intimate moments are hard to come by in their circumstances. Roland notices them growing closer and remarks on it to himself with the knowledge that they’ll need the link to be as strong as possible. More foreshadowing.

In my opinion this book can almost be read as a stand alone. A lot happens to further the group on their journey, but it can almost be taken as its own complete story. Until you reach the end. There is a cliffhanger that isn’t horrible, but definitely unsatisfying. Will they get off of Blaine the Mono alive? Since there are more volumes to the series we know they must. But the journey is still worth the read.