CHAPTER 1:(Prologue)
It happened in the waning hours of my summer vacation. The events that unfolded opened my eyes to the evil that was always around me that I never excepted. Who in their right mind could do such a thing? It was the weekend that changed my life. The weekend my brownies were taken from me...
CHAPTER 1: So it begins...
Saturday 8:00 am
Hi my name is Dan. Detective Dan that is, I’m what you call a big deal my parents always tell me I’m their “special boy”. I am 8 years old and the smartest kid in my town. I’m not into those games will the balls, too confusing too much going on. I’m into mysteries and puzzles, I’ve always been good at finding stuff. This one time my older brother Chris missed placed this thing called a “strap jock”, to me it was just underwear, but he said it was important. Anyway I found it in the dogs bed, he was so relieved and my parents told me I was the best. Like I said I’m kinda the man. Well today is the Saturday before I go into 4th grade and my summer has been kinda boring up to now I’ve just reading my detective 101 books and THE GREATEST DETECTIVE IN THE WORLD... SHERLOCK HOLMES!!! My idol he is what I want to be when I grow up, be all dectectivey.
So what makes the end of summer soooooo awesome is the fact that my mom makes her special back to school brownies for me and my brother. They are a triple chocolate chip mountain of deliciousness. She told us that it is a super secret recipe that has been past down in our family for decades and that it is the greatest brownie recipe the world will never now. That will give you just a sense on how fantastic these brownies are. We as a family have never lost a single bake sale competition. and today is the day that my five senses will be throughly indulged.
CHAPTER 2: The Clouds Darken...
Saturday 10:00ish am
“Mom can I go to the park”, I yelled into the kitchen.
“Sure honey just be back for lunch I have special surprise for you cooling in the window for when you get back.”
I already know what the surprise is of course... the brownies. The reason for my existence. I was born to eat those brownies that and solve the mysterious of the playground. So I dashed up the stairs to grab my note pad, my magnify glass, and the truth source of my detective power my hat. All great detectives have there hats like Sherlock Holmes, that Nancy Drew lady my mom likes to read about even Scooby-Doo wears a hat sometimes. All great detectives wear hats. So I walk out to solve the problems of the neighborhood.
Little did I know at that very moment that there was an unfathomable evil creeping across the lawn towards my open window and to the glory that lay inside.
CHAPTER 3: The Park
Saturday 10:30 am
The Playground... nothing compares to the type of shenanigans that go on here. It is the definition of corruption, social disarray, and tyranny that knows no bounds. It is ruled by the Middle Schoolers luckily I am on their good side because I solve all there problems like missing kick balls to stolen pokemon cards. I’m the neighborhoods problem solver.
Matty is 5th grader and the supreme ruler of the park, it is said that he once stole the lunch money from two 6th graders at the same time and he was only in third grade!! I’m on friendly terms, luckily, with him because I found his dog when it went missing . Actually it was sitting in my backyard because my family and I were having a barbeque.
“Hi Matty, how’s it hanging?” I said to Matt as he was swing across the monkey bars.
“Detective Dan... Not so good I’ve lost my dads favorite pen.” said Matty in a not so friendly tone.
“Well Matty did you check your pocket...”
“WHAT DO YOU THINK I AM STUPID!,” Matt screamed, rummaging through his pockets “Of course I checked my.... oh”
“What were you saying Matt?” I asked.
“Uhh... nothing I found the pen.” Matty said, as his cheeks reddened.
“Uh huh... So I heard that you needed my help finding...” just then their was a cry that pierced the air that gave me those alien bumps on my arm.
“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! DANNNNNNNNNN!”, it was my mom?!. What set of lungs she had my house is a half mile away so the fact that I heard her so vividly is a miracle in itself. So I rushed home in a daze pondering if I had done anything recently to make her wrath fall upon me. Not thinking of anything I doubled my pace home.
Once at home I saw, an image that will be burned into my brain for the rest of my life. The tray of the most delicious brownies known to man were. GONE!!!
(Hope you enjoyed there is a lot more to come)
Sunday, December 4, 2011
First Look into author Jesse Freeland's "Running From Death"
1) What is your story about?
A) My story is about a zombie apocalypse, and two guys (Frank and Chris) who work together to survive.
2) What is the inspiration behind your story?
A) I got a lot of inspiration from watching The Walking Dead, and also from I Am Legend. I Am Legend has a really emotional story, and makes for a great “Last person on earth” type of movie.
3) What is the title of your book?
A) “Running From Death”
4) Who are your characters?
A) Frank Smith was a soldier who fought in Afghanistan for two years. Shortly after the apocalypse happens, he runs into Chris, a former police officer who is looking for supplies at a gas station. They work together to survive as long as they can.
5) Who are the good guys and bad guys?
A) Frank and Chris are obviously good guys, while the zombies are the bad guys.
6) Are there special qualities about your main characters?
A) Frank fought in the war in Afghanistan, so he knows all about survival, and using guns. Chris also has a real knack for shooting since he was a police officer.
7) How does your zombie book stand out from other zombie books?
A) I think you’ll just have to read the book to find out…
8)
Does your story relate to life?
A) It does in some ways, but obviously we haven’t had a zombie apocalypse, so it doesn’t relate too much.
9) What lessons does your story teach us about life?
A) “Running From Death” is all about these two guys who work together to survive. Without each other, they wouldn’t be able to live. In an apocalypse, there is no hatred of other people, and difference are put aside. The story teaches people to set aside their differences, and work together with other people to accomplish their goals, because we can only survive by ourselves for so long.
10) What makes your story important to you?
A) I enjoy writing it, and it has parts in it that are very emotional. I really feel it’s a story that people can become connected to, mainly because of the characters and who they work together.
11) Do your characters have flaws? What are they?
A) Chris has had some really bad things happen to him since the zombie infection started. There are times where he tends to just shut down and forget about the world around him. Frank has those moments too, and he also goes through a lot of stress mainly because of the war he fought in for two years. They definitely have their flaws, and they must help each other to work through the difficult times.
12) Did you have any road blocks while writing this story?
A) Yeah, definitely. I think it was difficult coming up with a title, which I still may change it later on, but I also want to have the best ending possible for the story. Everything that I write at the beginning has a huge impact on how the book is going to end. So there are times when I just have to stop and think about how my decisions will change the ending.
13) Are there any major twists in your plot?
A) You’ll just have to read and find out.
14) Tell me more about how your characters met.
A) That’ll ruin the whole part when it happens. You’ll just have to read it…
15) Did The Walking Dead play a major part in the development of the story?
A) It did in some ways. I’ve been watching The Walking Dead every Sunday while I’m in the middle of writing this story, and I wanted to be able to capture the emotion that The Walking Dead does. It has a very emotional story between all of the characters, and I wanted to kind of capture the same idea.
16) How has writing this story affected you?
A) It’s made me more interested in zombie shows and books, which are awesome.
17) Zombies are a hot topic these days. Do you think your story will be successful?
A) I think so. People seem to have a great obsession lately with stories that are about mankind’s demise. In movies, shows, and books about the apocalypse, people are forced to set aside their differences to work together in order to survive. My story is emotional and has zombies in it like other zombie stories, but there’s a lot more to it than just that. I think there’s a lot that makes it different.
18) Do any of your characters have any moral obligations to the zombies?
A) They kind of feel bad for them. Even though they are flesh eating monsters, they were once people, which now have lost their souls and thoughts.
19) Do your characters have any moral compasses?
A) They definitely have different morals that they live by. But overall, there most important goal is to survive.
20) Do you think of yourself as a pioneer into the zombie apocalypse field of writing?
A) I think I can change it drastically, and change the way people think about zombie stories.
Click on the hyperlink to read more about Jesse's "Running From Death" here.
A) My story is about a zombie apocalypse, and two guys (Frank and Chris) who work together to survive.
2) What is the inspiration behind your story?
A) I got a lot of inspiration from watching The Walking Dead, and also from I Am Legend. I Am Legend has a really emotional story, and makes for a great “Last person on earth” type of movie.
3) What is the title of your book?
A) “Running From Death”
4) Who are your characters?
A) Frank Smith was a soldier who fought in Afghanistan for two years. Shortly after the apocalypse happens, he runs into Chris, a former police officer who is looking for supplies at a gas station. They work together to survive as long as they can.
5) Who are the good guys and bad guys?
A) Frank and Chris are obviously good guys, while the zombies are the bad guys.
6) Are there special qualities about your main characters?
A) Frank fought in the war in Afghanistan, so he knows all about survival, and using guns. Chris also has a real knack for shooting since he was a police officer.
7) How does your zombie book stand out from other zombie books?
A) I think you’ll just have to read the book to find out…
8)
Does your story relate to life?A) It does in some ways, but obviously we haven’t had a zombie apocalypse, so it doesn’t relate too much.
9) What lessons does your story teach us about life?
A) “Running From Death” is all about these two guys who work together to survive. Without each other, they wouldn’t be able to live. In an apocalypse, there is no hatred of other people, and difference are put aside. The story teaches people to set aside their differences, and work together with other people to accomplish their goals, because we can only survive by ourselves for so long.
10) What makes your story important to you?
A) I enjoy writing it, and it has parts in it that are very emotional. I really feel it’s a story that people can become connected to, mainly because of the characters and who they work together.
11) Do your characters have flaws? What are they?
A) Chris has had some really bad things happen to him since the zombie infection started. There are times where he tends to just shut down and forget about the world around him. Frank has those moments too, and he also goes through a lot of stress mainly because of the war he fought in for two years. They definitely have their flaws, and they must help each other to work through the difficult times.
12) Did you have any road blocks while writing this story?
A) Yeah, definitely. I think it was difficult coming up with a title, which I still may change it later on, but I also want to have the best ending possible for the story. Everything that I write at the beginning has a huge impact on how the book is going to end. So there are times when I just have to stop and think about how my decisions will change the ending.
13) Are there any major twists in your plot?
A) You’ll just have to read and find out.
14) Tell me more about how your characters met.
A) That’ll ruin the whole part when it happens. You’ll just have to read it…
15) Did The Walking Dead play a major part in the development of the story?
A) It did in some ways. I’ve been watching The Walking Dead every Sunday while I’m in the middle of writing this story, and I wanted to be able to capture the emotion that The Walking Dead does. It has a very emotional story between all of the characters, and I wanted to kind of capture the same idea.
16) How has writing this story affected you?
A) It’s made me more interested in zombie shows and books, which are awesome.
17) Zombies are a hot topic these days. Do you think your story will be successful?
A) I think so. People seem to have a great obsession lately with stories that are about mankind’s demise. In movies, shows, and books about the apocalypse, people are forced to set aside their differences to work together in order to survive. My story is emotional and has zombies in it like other zombie stories, but there’s a lot more to it than just that. I think there’s a lot that makes it different.
18) Do any of your characters have any moral obligations to the zombies?
A) They kind of feel bad for them. Even though they are flesh eating monsters, they were once people, which now have lost their souls and thoughts.
19) Do your characters have any moral compasses?
A) They definitely have different morals that they live by. But overall, there most important goal is to survive.
20) Do you think of yourself as a pioneer into the zombie apocalypse field of writing?
A) I think I can change it drastically, and change the way people think about zombie stories.
Click on the hyperlink to read more about Jesse's "Running From Death" here.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
America: Time to wake up
What is happening to America? The country is 15 trillion dollars in debt, a war that has been raging for two decades, and there are protest across the country over wall street. It is time for America to hike up its big boy pants and handle the problems of today now instead of playing the blame game twenty-four seven in Washington.
Our politicians are more concerned with the fact of if they're going to be re-elected rather than solving the fact that our unemployment level is at 8.6% it has dropped from 9% in October but that is because about half of the unemployment drop last month was attributed to 315,000 people leaving the labor force. President Obama is going to approximately 1 billion dollars this year alone on his campaign to get re-elected for the presidency. It has gotten to the point that this is comical, and that is not at all a good thing. The problem in this country is no one has any accountability. The Republicans blame the Democrats, the Democrats blame the Republicans. In George Washington's farewell address of 1796 he warns us of political parties, "The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissention, which in different ages & countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders & miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security & repose in the absolute power of an Individual: and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty." No one wants to admit to this but the D.C. game of politics is soiling the country, and the foundation and beliefs that it was built on. It is time to stop accusing and start accepting the problem of this debt not putting it on the back burner like the war in the middle east.
I was born in the year 1994 and the Persian gulf war was in full bloom. From then till now I have lived in a time of war. It does not feel like it though... the stories my grandfather tells me of World War II America are those of unity,nationalism, and sacrifice. There was only one life back then the war and trying to end it, end the suffering as soon as possible. Like Vietnam we are living two lives, while the war is going on some families it is their life for everyone else the war does not touch them, even though if we where not at war there liberties would put into extreme jeopardy. Where are the war bonds? The war songs? The nationalism? What is the excuse this time, there should not be any with all our technology and communication skills the war in the middle east should be over. My generation does not know sacrifice because we never have had anything taken from us, we are pampered in a society that is over sensitive. We do not want to disappoint anyone so we do two things at once like have a war to protect freedom, and give welfare benefits to the people who don't believe in the war. Know because of the fact we have been living two lives the people who have been living outside the war are complaining because their lifestyles are in jeopardy because of our huge debt. So they are doing the one thing we have been taught when we don't get something put up a stink about it.
The only thing I agree with about the Occupy Wall Street Movement is the fact that there does have to be a drastic change in the way things work in this country. Other than that well lets just say if they wanted to help the country they should be trying to find jobs. The Boston movement has been going on for two months and who knows instead of playing camping vacation in the middle of a city they could have found a job. By protesting against wall street they are slapping the people who built and protected this country across the face, the stock market is the definition and symbol of capitalism. It allows anyone a piece of a company, sure its a risk but that is what separates us from the rest of the world, if we did not risk anything well we would still be sipping tea instead of buying Starbucks coffee everyday. If anything protest to the legislative branch of this government because wall street can not change but the government has the power to create the change they are looking for. There is a reason there is a degree for someone to work on wall street, not anyone can do it, same with brain surgeons and officers in our Military. These protesters are saying that they could do a better job then the people who are doing it now, but they can't because if they could why are they protesting? From the way things are running in the government we can see why people don't have a degree to work in it.
No one has the correct answer to these problems because they are so enormous that any attempt to solve them with one answer is impossible. What we need to do as a country is solve one problem at a time take it in chunks. It is not an easy or quick thing either, people's feelings will be hurt in the process we can not appeal to everyone. The first thing we need to solve though is pride, men and women of Congress, Mr. President, citizens of America we need to find that pride in our country that we lost along the way. I strongly believe even with all these problems we are the greatest nation in the world, because of that fact is why I am allowed to post my feelings of the country. We need to make sacrifices across the board, we need to unify as a country under the banner that we need to change, because if we don't its not the middle class, the lower class, the high class, it's going to be America that is going to be affected. My dream is that the Stars and Stripes will mean as much as they once did. God Bless America.
Our politicians are more concerned with the fact of if they're going to be re-elected rather than solving the fact that our unemployment level is at 8.6% it has dropped from 9% in October but that is because about half of the unemployment drop last month was attributed to 315,000 people leaving the labor force. President Obama is going to approximately 1 billion dollars this year alone on his campaign to get re-elected for the presidency. It has gotten to the point that this is comical, and that is not at all a good thing. The problem in this country is no one has any accountability. The Republicans blame the Democrats, the Democrats blame the Republicans. In George Washington's farewell address of 1796 he warns us of political parties, "The alternate domination of one faction over another, sharpened by the spirit of revenge natural to party dissention, which in different ages & countries has perpetrated the most horrid enormities, is itself a frightful despotism. But this leads at length to a more formal and permanent despotism. The disorders & miseries, which result, gradually incline the minds of men to seek security & repose in the absolute power of an Individual: and sooner or later the chief of some prevailing faction more able or more fortunate than his competitors, turns this disposition to the purposes of his own elevation, on the ruins of Public Liberty." No one wants to admit to this but the D.C. game of politics is soiling the country, and the foundation and beliefs that it was built on. It is time to stop accusing and start accepting the problem of this debt not putting it on the back burner like the war in the middle east.
I was born in the year 1994 and the Persian gulf war was in full bloom. From then till now I have lived in a time of war. It does not feel like it though... the stories my grandfather tells me of World War II America are those of unity,nationalism, and sacrifice. There was only one life back then the war and trying to end it, end the suffering as soon as possible. Like Vietnam we are living two lives, while the war is going on some families it is their life for everyone else the war does not touch them, even though if we where not at war there liberties would put into extreme jeopardy. Where are the war bonds? The war songs? The nationalism? What is the excuse this time, there should not be any with all our technology and communication skills the war in the middle east should be over. My generation does not know sacrifice because we never have had anything taken from us, we are pampered in a society that is over sensitive. We do not want to disappoint anyone so we do two things at once like have a war to protect freedom, and give welfare benefits to the people who don't believe in the war. Know because of the fact we have been living two lives the people who have been living outside the war are complaining because their lifestyles are in jeopardy because of our huge debt. So they are doing the one thing we have been taught when we don't get something put up a stink about it.
The only thing I agree with about the Occupy Wall Street Movement is the fact that there does have to be a drastic change in the way things work in this country. Other than that well lets just say if they wanted to help the country they should be trying to find jobs. The Boston movement has been going on for two months and who knows instead of playing camping vacation in the middle of a city they could have found a job. By protesting against wall street they are slapping the people who built and protected this country across the face, the stock market is the definition and symbol of capitalism. It allows anyone a piece of a company, sure its a risk but that is what separates us from the rest of the world, if we did not risk anything well we would still be sipping tea instead of buying Starbucks coffee everyday. If anything protest to the legislative branch of this government because wall street can not change but the government has the power to create the change they are looking for. There is a reason there is a degree for someone to work on wall street, not anyone can do it, same with brain surgeons and officers in our Military. These protesters are saying that they could do a better job then the people who are doing it now, but they can't because if they could why are they protesting? From the way things are running in the government we can see why people don't have a degree to work in it.
No one has the correct answer to these problems because they are so enormous that any attempt to solve them with one answer is impossible. What we need to do as a country is solve one problem at a time take it in chunks. It is not an easy or quick thing either, people's feelings will be hurt in the process we can not appeal to everyone. The first thing we need to solve though is pride, men and women of Congress, Mr. President, citizens of America we need to find that pride in our country that we lost along the way. I strongly believe even with all these problems we are the greatest nation in the world, because of that fact is why I am allowed to post my feelings of the country. We need to make sacrifices across the board, we need to unify as a country under the banner that we need to change, because if we don't its not the middle class, the lower class, the high class, it's going to be America that is going to be affected. My dream is that the Stars and Stripes will mean as much as they once did. God Bless America.
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