Heroic Age

     Heroic age is one of the best animes I've seen.  It was originally made by Xebec studio, as a television series.  The series was then picked up by a Manga Magazine.  The series is not rated, as many anime aren't, but if it did have a rating it would be PG, at worse.

     I'm a big fan of Japanese anime because of the visual imagery, but also because of the deep-seeded meaning behind their stories.  They can be quirky, action-packed, dramatic, or any other type of genre, but there is almost always a deep philosophy shared.  Sometimes it's hard to find, but it is usually there.  Heroic Age is riddled with it.

     The very characters are based on Greek mythology.  Age, the protagonist, is loosely based on Hercules, and the twelve labors he had to perform.  Even the title Heroic Age refers to the heroic age of the Greek heroes.  The tribes come from the Greek poet Hesiod, and his five ages of mankind.  The Golden Tribe is the Golden Age of immortals, or the gods.  The Silver Tribe is after the Silver Age of men, or those ruled under the god Zeus.  They always squabbled and lived short lives.  They refused to worship Zeus, so he destroyed them.  The Bronze Tribe was patterned after the Bronze Age where Zeus supposedly made men out of ash tree.  They had armor made of bronze, as were their tools and weapons.  They were violent, and unworthy, so they died and were sent to live with Hades.  The Heroic Tribe is patterned after the Heroic Age.  This age was not compared to any metal.  Men were made from the bones of the earth.  Men lived with demigods and heroes.  The men from this age made a name for themselves and their names were jotted down to be remembered for all times.  Most of the heroes from Greek Mythology come from this age.  The Iron Tribe is patterned after the Iron Age, which is supposed to be the age we live in; a time when the gods had forsaken men.  Man had to toil for their own support.  Men fought men, brother fought brother, and there were curses and plagues upon all men.

     So, all that depth was put into the making of this T.V. series.  Now, lets learn about the series.  It's set in a futuristic society where all of the Tribes are capable of interstellar travel, but there had to maps, or reference points, usually planets, for them to get from one place to another.  The Golden Tribe ruled supreme, but left the galaxy after they imparted their knowledge on to the humanoid Silver Tribe, the insect-like Bronze Tribe, and the greatest warriors, the Heroic Tribe.  The Heroic Tribe was so powerful that they wreaked havoc on the universe with their indomitable power.  As punishment, the Golden Tribe made them serve the other tribes as "Nodos" (giant robot-like beings).  Humanity answered the call of the Golden Tribe to follow them into the next galaxy, and they were dubbed the Iron Tribe.  The Silver Tribe does not like this, and they make it their duty to destroy the Iron Tribe. 

     The whole series is based around the two tribes fighting, with the bug-like Bronze Tribe continually attacking in swarms.  One of the last surviving Iron Tribe ships is on a mission to find a Nodos to save and protect them.  They come across a young boy, Age, left all alone after the destruction of a world.  The Bronze Tribe attacks, almost annihilating this band of Iron Tribe, when Age transforms into a Nodos and easily destroys the attackers.  Age joins the Iron Tribe, and they go searching for the Golden Tribe.

     There is constant action with the tribes battling it out.  The fighting sequences are long, but not boring.  There is comic relief as Age is in no ways civilized, and the story leaves you wanting more.

     I openly recommend this anime to anyone, especially if you have never watched anime.  It would be a wonderful introduction into the anime world.  I give the series 

     

     

Porphyria

     A lot of people ask me what it is I "have".  I don't want this to turn into a pity party, so I'm just going to talk about Porphyria.  I have a couple of things going on with me, but this is one of the major ones.

     Most people don't know a lot, or anything about porphyria; that includes the doctors.  The spell checker on most writing programs even say it's not a word.  That's because there is not a lot of research done for the disease because it's exceptionally rare.  

     The second problem is that there are several forms of porphyria.  Acute Intermittent Porphyria (AIP), Variegate Porphyria (VP), Hereditary Coproporphyria (HCP), ALAD Porphyria (ADP), Porphyria Cutanea Tarda (PCT), Erythropoietic Protoporphyria (EPP), Congenital Erythropoietic Porphyria (CEP), and Hepatoerythropoietic Porphyria (HEP).  And there are subgroups for several of these types of porphyrias. And... testing for any type of porphyria is difficult.

     Okay, so now that you've seen all the big words, and have no idea what they mean, I'll tell you how they affect me.  (You can click any of the types of porphyrias and read more about them from the APF)  I have AIP and either PCT or VP.  Like I said, testing is very difficult, and sketchy at best, so they haven't narrowed it down yet.  

     AIP is not fun.  Supposedly there are triggers for the attacks.  I have not been able to identify mine yet.  I stay away from all of the usual triggers (drugs, alcohol, sulfa-based meds, and certain foods), but attacks can also be triggered by stress, and, sometimes, because the mutated porphyrins have simply been building up.  When I have an attack I get severe stomach cramps (women who have AIP compare them to labor pains), nausea, I usually throw up several times, my whole body aches, and I have either diarrhea or constipation (I know, TMI, right?).  Most people have attacks, which are severe enough for hospitalization, but then move on with their lives.  A very small percentage of us AIP'ers have chronic symptoms in between attacks.  I always have a dull, but moderate, pain in my stomach.  It feels like the day after a surgery without pain-killers.  I know that sounds awful, but when you have that pain for 14 years, you learn to tune it out most of the time and it feels like a normal part of life.  Years ago, I always walk around hunched over because of the pain, but now I only have a hard time in the morning, before my brain remembers to forget about it.  I'm always nauseated, but it's the worse first thing in the morning.  I often throw up in the mornings, and after meals.

     The PCT or VP is not so bad, for me.  I only suffer symptoms when I'm having an AIP attack.  Basically, if I go out in the sun during an attack, I feel like Dracula. (The legends of werewolves and vampires actually originated from people suffering from different types of porphyria.)  My exposed skin gets a really bad rash which sometimes blisters and bleeds.  Most days I can go in the sun and be fine, but during attacks I stay inside with the blinds shut.

Here's a picture of one time I went in the sun during an attack.

     What I have is not contagious.  I'm not a real vampire, though that is my kids' favorite thing to tell their friends about me.  One thing, important above all others, is that I am not my disease!  I'm sure everyone with a disease or disability feels the same way.  People tend to only see your defect.  The first question everyone asks me is how I'm feeling.  I know they are trying to be nice/sympathetic, and I do appreciate the concern and love, but I am more than my disease.  It consumes a lot of my life.  I'm not able to do a lot of things.  I stay inside a lot.  I don't feel well most of the time.  But, I'm still just a normal guy.  I'm very social, at least I use to be, and I love to talk to people.  I like to go out and have fun.  Some days I can't do it, but most days I can live a pretty normal life.  Come say "Hi" to me, I don't bite. :)

     At any rate, there is little the medical community can do for those who suffer from porphyria.  It is a life-long disease.  I, like so many others, have learned to live with it.  I have a strong, supportive, loving wife who has picked up all the pieces I couldn't carry.  She even lets me complain to her when I'm not well.  I have three wonderful kids, who have learned to be independent because they have to be sometimes.  And I have supportive friends and family around me.  I've got a pretty good life.  I see some of the problems other people have to deal with and wonder how they manage.  We all have our little trials, this is just one of mine.

Realistic Mario

This video made me laugh too much.  Pete Homes' stuff is funny, but some of it is crude, and there are swear words in a lot of his videos.  This one is clean though.

Traditional vs. Self-publishing

Ok, Full disclosure, this is not my work.  I'm part of a writing group called "Indie Author Group" on Facebook.  It's a great group, and I recommend it to any authors out there who are seriously looking to get help with their work.  This is a document from one of the admins of the page.  She's a well established author, and really knows what she's talking about.

To traditionally publish or to self publish, that is the question! 

In many ways it's the difference between delayed gratification (traditional or legacy publishing) and instant gratification (self-publishing), between the security of having a large organization behind you or standing on your own and between the possibility of having your book on a bestseller or award lists. 

There are advantages and disadvantages to both, but if you believe that promotion/marketing is the advantage to traditional publishing, think again. Even the best known writers have their own Facebook pages and/or blogs to keep in touch with their fans - and to market. Their publisher expects it, especially of a new writer. Search for any of your favorite writers, and you'll find some way to reach them.

Far too many writers view self-publishing as the easier path, because you decide when and where to post your books. It's not. In self-publishing, it's all on you. And once again, far too many writers do see it as the easier way. They don't see the need to be edited, or have a proper cover artist and formatter to set up their manuscript.

However, there are definite advantages - a traditional publisher will want you to stick to one genre, and they have definite views about Points of View from omniscient (which they hate) to first person (ditto) to third person.

If you decide that traditional publishing is the path you want to take an agent can help you find the right publisher, although you can submit directly. Use a program called Querytracker to find an agent, or research to see which publisher deals with books like yours. 

Traditional Publishing Before submitting either to an agent or a publisher, complete your novel. Polish your manuscript using the Editing 101 document here and a book like The Elements of Style. Then, if you're wise, get it edited by a qualified editor. BTW, the publisher will still do their own editing. Even so, you still want to submit a professional product.

Write a query letter. See Query shark - http://queryshark.blogspot.com/ for how to write a good one.

That query letter should be one page, detailing the genre of book and the length, contain a short description or blurb, and an introduction to the writer. No cheating by changing font size to fit - should be TNR 11 or 12 or a variation thereof. Then wait. Write book two if you haven't already. If you have, write book three. Some publishers can take up to 90 days to respond to your submission. (One took over a year to send a rejection notice to me. By then I'd already sold the book to someone else.) Wait for a rejection letter or a request for partial or full before submitting elsewhere - especially if they request that you don't do multiple submissions. If they request a partial or full, send EXACTLY what they request. Consider it a test - they're testing you to see if you follow instructions.

Wait for a rejection letter, acceptance, or request for revise and resubmit.

If accepted, an agent will negotiate the best deal they can for both the writer and the publisher. Anyone who thinks that an agent works for them is naive. They are part of the gatekeeping process - finding a manuscript that they think will sell in the market that exists at that moment. If you don't have an agent, have the contract reviewed by a contract attorney. You want to understand who owns the rights to everything from the overseas contracts to any possible film contracts.Prepare for the editorial process. Most editors are on your side, but their job is to make your manuscript fit their publisher and to make your work shine. That's not just spelling and grammar but repetition or unnecessary detail. That being said, be ready to kill your darlings. If that perfect sentence doesn't advance the story, it will be cut. And you may be asked to make major changes. Remember, the editor works for the publisher, not you.

Once the editing process is complete, a release date will be announced and a cover created. You may have some input into the cover but not much. Don't expect the cover artist to recreate a scene in your head on the cover - the publisher will make it fit their covers.

It can take as much as a year to two years before you get that contract. (Not including the amount of time spent sending in submissions.)That contract? You'll be offered anywhere from 15% to 30% of the proceeds from your book (unless you're a big name writer where you might receive 42%). Out of your proceeds, you'll pay your agent, if you have one.  

Market, market, market. It's up to you to make your first book matter to readers. The publisher will expect it. They'll also expect you to create and maintain a web page, Facebook author page and Twitter account. Use them. Announce release dates. Arrange promotion via FB and other promotional sites. 

Self Publishing

Technically, you can create a document in Word and a cover yourself, and put it up on Amazon or Smashwords. Don't do this. A poorly prepared, unedited book with an unprofessional cover is an announcement that you're an amateur, and a rank amateur at that. At the very least, use Editing 101 and the Manual of Style to polish it as much as possible.

If you haven't already, write book two, and then book three.

Meanwhile, before releasing book one find beta readers, an editor, formatter and cover artist. Polish your manuscript as above. Beta readers are readers willing to look at your manuscript for free to catch basic errors in grammar and continuity. Send to the editor of your choice. Here is where self-publishing has the advantage - the editor works for you, not the agent, and not the publisher. However, the job remains the same, to make your manuscript shine. Ignore their advice at your peril.

Choose a cover artist - look at the samples on their web page, find examples you like from books in Amazon or Smashwords and tell your cover artist what it is you like about them. Don't expect a cover artist to recreate a scene in your head for the cover - they aren't mindreaders, and it will be prohibitively expensive to purchase the rights to all those images. Most will ask for the blurb (short description) of the book, and details of main characters. Have no expectations. Consider using premade covers for the short term.

Send edited manuscript and cover to formatter (or learn to DIY). Create and maintain a web page, Facebook author page and Twitter account. Use them. Announce release dates. Arrange promotion via FB sites. Do a cover reveal to attract readers.When release date arrives, promote but don't spam. The best marketing for book one is book two, etc. Depending on the vendor, you'll receive anywhere from 30% to 70%.