I have always had an independent spirit. I respect those that deserve respect but I can not let my life go in the direction that others seem best.
One major thing I learned is that you have to follow your heart. If you know where you want to be you have to follow your own path. Don't get me wrong, I highly advise that if you can get input from someone knowledgeable then you can use it to further your dream.
There are too many people trying to copy successful writing. When a popular Vampire book comes out then hundreds of Vampire books come out in response to what appears to be a demand for the Genre.
I prefer to write what is in my heart and not what other people are doing because I want my writing to be original and not something that will prolong any kind of longevity in the Literary world.
I encourage you all to go with your original conception, no matter how bizarre people may think it is. The movie and book industry is craving originality, so keep to your ideas and God Bless.
This is an interactive blog. I would love your feedback.
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
My writing...
What can I say about my writing? How about the fact that I have ADD and have never had the patience to read . I'm not saying I have never read anything; I read Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton and The Amityville Horror. Both are easy reads (if you can get past the DNA explanation in Jurassic Park), so that may be the reason why I was able to read them.
How can I be a writer, you say? I have been told by those that have read my novels that my stories are original and they enjoy the original writing. The fact that I am not trying to emulate my favorite Author has been noted as a huge plus to my writing.
I really love the old movie Serials that had the cliffhangers at the end, where you wondered if the hero would survive until next week. My books are written the same way: easy reads with a cliffhanger ending to leave you in suspense until the next book. I've been told by several avid readers that although some of the more famous Authors that have 700-800 page books are good but have several parts where the reader is lost in boredom. My goal is to alleviate that problem.
My first novel: Angel Falls, is a Christian Fiction Mystery published in 2005. A Utopian Existence. That's what the residents in Angel Falls believe they have in their secluded town where the temperature is a constant 65-67 degrees. Hidden in the mountains located in Hudspeth County, between El Paso, Texas, and Sierra Blanca, Texas, is a community with only 36 residents residing at any one time. A God-Fearing community with very few modern conveniences, yet seemingly content. Who is the mysterious stranger, and why will his announcement signal the end of Angel Falls? What is the biggest secret of Angel Falls and who will die as a result of this knowledge?
In 2007, Married Alive came to life. Married Alive is a modern-day fable, with a dash of truth, and enough humor to keep you guessing how this marriage stays intact. It's a he said/she said story a married couple we'll call, Conrad and Jan. Conny is a walking metaphor for everything that's wrong with men nowadays. Jan is his pregnant wife who shows a great deal of intelligence but loves her man anyway. They takes turns narrating every other chapter as if they were talking with a Psychologist. Truth? Sometimes. Relatable? Definitely!
In 2010 I published what I had researched to be as the first fictional account of the 2003 Baghdad Museum theft. P.G. Jeckyll is an International Art Dealer who caters to collectors who aren't afraid to purchase pieces that have been acquired through less than reputable means. Enter: The Sargon Cube which is part of an incredible collection at the Museum in Baghdad. Using the American invasion of Iraq as a backdrop, Akkad follows the story of a priceless artifact that gets stolen not once...but twice! Add a homicide and you will wonder if even the husband and wife investigators from UNESCO can put the pieces of the missing treasure together.
All 3 are available at publishamerica.net and signed copies are available on Ebay.
I had my first play produced about a subject that no one has covered......until now...
"ONLINE(copyright 2011) is a 20-something play based around Jason Griggs; a young man who treats women like playthings until an argument with his girlfriend Alison, leads to her leaving him for another woman.
Jason's ego takes over as he attempts to track her exploits on a social networking website called Facespace. With the help of his Psych Major friend Heather, and "not the sharpest tool in the shed" friend Grant, Jason creates a female persona to join Facespace and infiltrate the Lesbian clique.
Jason ends up biting off more than he can chew and ends up experiencing more than he bargains for.
Throw into the mix Jason's husband controlling sister, Amy and her whipped hubby Peter.
Once the die is cast, secrets surface, games are played, and some things are not quite what they seem in this comedic romp through the cyber world we have all become a part of.
Although ONLINE is a 20-something play, those who have read it in all age groups have enjoyed the fast paced, possibly even realistic look at social interaction on the internet. It is unlike anything you have ever experienced before, except of course actually being......ONLINE.There is a mature theme, sexual in nature with adult language.
My next novel, Levels, will be out in mid 2012. The first story, LEVELS, is about a young man named Clifford who was abandoned by his family and adopted by a man named who abuses him physically and mentally. Clifford soon meets his only friend in Cornelius Calhoun III who teaches our Clifford laughter for the first time. Clifford's new friend takes him on a ride of vengeance and pleasure that changes everything, as he learns that maybe his friend isn't everything he appears to be. (Mystery with Christian overtones)
THE NATIVITY follows Jennifer McCabe who's faith is tested by having to endure in a few years what most people face in a lifetime. Every Christmas holds a new tragedy for the young girl. Will she be able to keep her word to her Father and finish building the life size Nativity scene in her back yard before the next Christmas? Christian Fiction (this story has been copyrighted 2011 Alan Riehl)
LABELS is a very short story that lets us see through the eyes of a serial killer justifying the need to eradicate all that is beautiful. That which has been labeled "beauty" by the killer, must be destroyed. The killer describes beauty as "labels" produced by the media and peer pressure. The insane plan of carnage must be carried out to satiate the hatred of all that is beautiful. (Fiction with a twist ending)
THE WAR is another very short story where it appears an age old one-sided war could be taking a turn as one brave soul has a plan to find a way to strike back once and for all. (Fiction with a twist ending)
MYTH CATCHERS is the longest of the stories at around 42 pages. This is the precursor to the series I am planning. Ten year old Curtis Armstrong can't understand where his Father went to so many years ago. The only thing that his Mother still has is an old pair of pants of his Dad's. Curtis' sister is infatuated with Unicorns and has her entire room decorated with the little creatures, which irritates him to no end. Strange things start happening around the Armstrong household after Curtis finds the pants. Unicorns of his sister's that he sells at a garage sale return with no explanation and destroyed figurines are found undamaged. Curtis starts school and even meets his nemesis, Darla, when things really start going crazy. Is it his new found imagination or is there really a Unicorn now standing in his closet wearing his Dad's pants and speaking perfect English? (Fantasy)
Well there you have it. Feel free to comment. Thank you and God Bless alanriehl@hotmail.com
How can I be a writer, you say? I have been told by those that have read my novels that my stories are original and they enjoy the original writing. The fact that I am not trying to emulate my favorite Author has been noted as a huge plus to my writing.
I really love the old movie Serials that had the cliffhangers at the end, where you wondered if the hero would survive until next week. My books are written the same way: easy reads with a cliffhanger ending to leave you in suspense until the next book. I've been told by several avid readers that although some of the more famous Authors that have 700-800 page books are good but have several parts where the reader is lost in boredom. My goal is to alleviate that problem.
My first novel: Angel Falls, is a Christian Fiction Mystery published in 2005. A Utopian Existence. That's what the residents in Angel Falls believe they have in their secluded town where the temperature is a constant 65-67 degrees. Hidden in the mountains located in Hudspeth County, between El Paso, Texas, and Sierra Blanca, Texas, is a community with only 36 residents residing at any one time. A God-Fearing community with very few modern conveniences, yet seemingly content. Who is the mysterious stranger, and why will his announcement signal the end of Angel Falls? What is the biggest secret of Angel Falls and who will die as a result of this knowledge?
In 2007, Married Alive came to life. Married Alive is a modern-day fable, with a dash of truth, and enough humor to keep you guessing how this marriage stays intact. It's a he said/she said story a married couple we'll call, Conrad and Jan. Conny is a walking metaphor for everything that's wrong with men nowadays. Jan is his pregnant wife who shows a great deal of intelligence but loves her man anyway. They takes turns narrating every other chapter as if they were talking with a Psychologist. Truth? Sometimes. Relatable? Definitely!
In 2010 I published what I had researched to be as the first fictional account of the 2003 Baghdad Museum theft. P.G. Jeckyll is an International Art Dealer who caters to collectors who aren't afraid to purchase pieces that have been acquired through less than reputable means. Enter: The Sargon Cube which is part of an incredible collection at the Museum in Baghdad. Using the American invasion of Iraq as a backdrop, Akkad follows the story of a priceless artifact that gets stolen not once...but twice! Add a homicide and you will wonder if even the husband and wife investigators from UNESCO can put the pieces of the missing treasure together.
All 3 are available at publishamerica.net and signed copies are available on Ebay.
I had my first play produced about a subject that no one has covered......until now...
"ONLINE(copyright 2011) is a 20-something play based around Jason Griggs; a young man who treats women like playthings until an argument with his girlfriend Alison, leads to her leaving him for another woman.
Jason's ego takes over as he attempts to track her exploits on a social networking website called Facespace. With the help of his Psych Major friend Heather, and "not the sharpest tool in the shed" friend Grant, Jason creates a female persona to join Facespace and infiltrate the Lesbian clique.
Jason ends up biting off more than he can chew and ends up experiencing more than he bargains for.
Throw into the mix Jason's husband controlling sister, Amy and her whipped hubby Peter.
Once the die is cast, secrets surface, games are played, and some things are not quite what they seem in this comedic romp through the cyber world we have all become a part of.
Although ONLINE is a 20-something play, those who have read it in all age groups have enjoyed the fast paced, possibly even realistic look at social interaction on the internet. It is unlike anything you have ever experienced before, except of course actually being......ONLINE.There is a mature theme, sexual in nature with adult language.
My next novel, Levels, will be out in mid 2012. The first story, LEVELS, is about a young man named Clifford who was abandoned by his family and adopted by a man named who abuses him physically and mentally. Clifford soon meets his only friend in Cornelius Calhoun III who teaches our Clifford laughter for the first time. Clifford's new friend takes him on a ride of vengeance and pleasure that changes everything, as he learns that maybe his friend isn't everything he appears to be. (Mystery with Christian overtones)
THE NATIVITY follows Jennifer McCabe who's faith is tested by having to endure in a few years what most people face in a lifetime. Every Christmas holds a new tragedy for the young girl. Will she be able to keep her word to her Father and finish building the life size Nativity scene in her back yard before the next Christmas? Christian Fiction (this story has been copyrighted 2011 Alan Riehl)
LABELS is a very short story that lets us see through the eyes of a serial killer justifying the need to eradicate all that is beautiful. That which has been labeled "beauty" by the killer, must be destroyed. The killer describes beauty as "labels" produced by the media and peer pressure. The insane plan of carnage must be carried out to satiate the hatred of all that is beautiful. (Fiction with a twist ending)
THE WAR is another very short story where it appears an age old one-sided war could be taking a turn as one brave soul has a plan to find a way to strike back once and for all. (Fiction with a twist ending)
MYTH CATCHERS is the longest of the stories at around 42 pages. This is the precursor to the series I am planning. Ten year old Curtis Armstrong can't understand where his Father went to so many years ago. The only thing that his Mother still has is an old pair of pants of his Dad's. Curtis' sister is infatuated with Unicorns and has her entire room decorated with the little creatures, which irritates him to no end. Strange things start happening around the Armstrong household after Curtis finds the pants. Unicorns of his sister's that he sells at a garage sale return with no explanation and destroyed figurines are found undamaged. Curtis starts school and even meets his nemesis, Darla, when things really start going crazy. Is it his new found imagination or is there really a Unicorn now standing in his closet wearing his Dad's pants and speaking perfect English? (Fantasy)
Well there you have it. Feel free to comment. Thank you and God Bless alanriehl@hotmail.com
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