IT’S NEVER TOO LATE

Greetings and salutations loyal readers of the blog,

I had planned on talking about word choice again. (the room falls silent, in anticipation. NO, BOREDOM.) So instead I’m going to share with you what I read throughout the week. These are published authors who still take the time too share what they’ve learned, and aren’t afraid to tell you they mostly learned these things the hard way.

I’ll start with Scott Kenemore. Author of such modern classics as Zen Of The Zombie and Zombie Ohio, just name a couple. Scott talks about Zombieism in all it’s forms. He shares about the brain eating business of writing and publishing books. His posts are brief, informative and fun.  You can check him out at http://scottkenemore.wordpress.com

Next the beautiful and talented Liv Rancourt. Her recent novel Forever And Ever Amen, romance with a twist.  Yesterdays post was called Alternate Endings. She wrote an interesting piece about what if I had done one thing differently, college, marriage, or job and what that might look like.It’s a great way to test your creative chops. You can read it yourself at http://livrancourt.com

Last I offer you, the way too in my head and watching what I do to the point she is a little frightening, Kristen Lamb. All week she has been causing me to look over my shoulder, trying to catch her spying on my life. I finally stopped when I mentioned her blog to a writer friend of mine and we started saying things in unison, IE “How does she know I’m struggling with sitting down and writing instead of–fill in your own mundane life tasks.

So Kristen knows how we writers think and is bold enough to say it out loud in her blog. (I’m just going to say this unfiltered, “She’s got balls”) Today her blog is titled Change–Resistance is Futile.  While she is promoting her new book Rise Of The Machines-Human Authors In A Digital World. She does it by telling us what prompted to her to write a non-fiction book. Next that she is self publishing this one and why. She admits having fears around treading new ground in the self-pub arena. She talks about mistakes she going to make and the new ones she’ll make after she learns from this first foray into self-pub. She’s a gutsy honest lady, who will tell you you’re lazy, and defend your right to be lazy for a day. Then, she will tell you to get back on that keyboard and write until your fingers bleed, because that is exactly what she would do.

If you write because you must, like most of us. You owe to yourself to check out her blog at http://warriorwriters.wordpress.com

I hope I didn’t gush too much.

I find it hard to write about writing. I can talk about the mechanics, and make jokes about my poor grammar, but at the end of the day, writing is a singular experience that is hard to share. The three writers I mentioned above have a way of making it personal. As always I’ll leave you with a quote.

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.  The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”  ~Sylvia Plath

Write On,

Eerie Dwarf

Problem Between Muse and Keyboard…

What do you do when your plot backs you to the crumbling edge of your story?

Do you throw your hands up and wave them like you just don’t care? (Sorry, the 90’s were visiting this week!)

Do you wrap your rappelling rope of character motivation around your leg and step back, praying it holds?

Do you scream like a little girl and jump?

Or do you push back?

Unfortunately, my storyline took me to task the last couple of weeks.  I’d get a couple chapters ahead, then she’d slap me back a chapter and a half.  I’d dodge around her, when she wasn’t looking, only to find myself face first in the dirt.

How did this happen to me? Well, it’s not because I’m a panster, because I do have a general outline of where my story needs to go, I know my characters and what drives them, and my world is very, very familiar. 

Nope, can’t pin it on any of the normal suspects.

So who was the culprit?

Um that would be the person between the Muse and the keyboard.  Will call her ‘The Operator’.  Seems The Operator decided we needed to do an entire scene of Q&A’s in this Paranormal Suspense. No matter how much the Muse or the characters threatened bodily harm, horrific turns of fate, The Operator determined a long, drawn out Q&A needed to be RIGHT HERE.

So Muse and the characters got together and managed to infect The Operator with a lovely serum of Second Guesses.  Since The Operator refused to listen, they decided to skew her POV. They sent her out on a ‘was’ hunt, because we all know ‘was’ is not a verb. 

Battered and bloodied, The Operator made it back to the dreaded chapter of contention. Tired, she decided she needed a shower to wash all the gore off.  In the midst of washing the was right out of her hair, a brilliant idea formed. 

Why not skip the Q&A? Why not just recapped it in a paragraph and move on.  Since it’s first person POV, readers could discover the information with the main character.  Besides, most of the characters’ pulses had leveled off, it was time to get their adrenalin pumping and move to the next BIG THING. 

Ecstatic, The Operator, dashed out of the shower, careful to keep a protective hand over her eyes, fumbled for a pen, jotted the idea down and realized the inside of her head had finally fallen silent.

Muse and characters didn’t let her hear their cheers, but they’re ready to proceed now that The Operator stop being a boob!

 

Feel free to share your trembling moments of impending disaster and how you escaped!

-Wicked

ADD

I had a lot of problems with people growing up. I think in part it was all the outburst talking, or my inability to keep my pencil still in my hands, or how I always seemed to have just one more question for my teacher. I had ADD pretty bad for most of my childhood I think, so much so that I made about just as many enemies as I lost friends (which didn’t leave me a lot to work with sadly).

Now that I’m older and wiser, I find myself calmer, cooler, and very much more collected. Call it maturity. Call it a God-send (I do!). But recently a friend of mine put it into perspective. He said to me, “Kyle, you’re a smart guy, and you’ve probably been a smart guy ever since you learned to count to two. But by God, after twenty-five years you finally learned when to shut your mouth and when to open it. Now shut up and let me buy you a drink.”

He did. And it tasted damn good.

Snooze control or Goose bumps

First, I must correct a mistake from last weeks post. It was pointed out to me, Was is a verb. Was is not a strong verb, would be the politically correct thing to say. And because I’m so politically correct I’m owning this one. Oh, screw the wases that got their feelings hurt. I’m cutting them left and right. My writing cave is littered with the pesky little bastards. Here a was, there a was, everywhere a was was.

Writing is all about making great word choices. Any hack can fill a page with was and it’s counterparts. A writer worthy of the title will search for the stronger verb leaving the reader with a sense of being present. Another problem with was is, lake dialogue tags, was is almost invisible to the reader. If the reader doesn’t see it. How can the reader feel it. What is it doing there? It appears because every sentence needs a verb. A few wases will take their proper place on the pages of your brilliant manuscript. But like dialogue, tags the fewer the better.

I’m glad we cleared up the discrepancy from last weeks post. So let’s touch on the dreaded editing process. Removing was from a sentence is as easy as all that. the sentence has to be reconstructed to make it personal for the reader and a strong verb must be selected. As I stated last week, one percent of all the words in a short story I’d written a while back had to go. 72 sentence rewrites, 72 new words. 72 opportunities to give the reader goose bumps. Writing an active sentence is harder than searching for the errant was.There is a whole slew of things that can put the reader into snooze control, but was is a good place to start. Next week, if the Gods of language smile down upon us, I’ll talk about some of the other tell-tail words that will lead us to the passive sentence.

I’ll leave you with this quotation from Robert Southey.“

“By writing much, one learns to write well.”

Write On,

Eerie Dwarf

 

A Swamp Visit with #pararom author @LivRancourt and her new release…

Today began like any other day.  Hellhound greeted the heralding light of a new day with a rousing chorus of canine delight. The Prankster Duo is prepping for their summer of total dominion. The Knight is considering various siege targets.  

And me?

I’m sneaking over to Snarky’s place because the talented and honored Dwarf Friend, Liv Rancourt, is stopping by. As a matter of fact, in apologies for sending buckets full of rain her way the other week, I invited her down to our sunnier part of the world to dry out and rediscover what the word ‘sky’ and ‘dry’ have in common.  

It helps that Eerie and Mischievous managed to tick off the Voodoo Queen down south, because it’s been a little warmer than normal. So much so, even the moss between toes has dried out and Dreamer’s become a little perturbed at the beating her flowers have taken.  I think she sent a few air elementals southward to Queenie’s place to help her re-arrange her perspective. 

Regardless, now that Snarky has set out some really cool pastries and Eerie’s coffee is scenting the air, it’s time to grill…<cough, cough>…ask Liv a few questions before we dive into her Paranormal Romance, FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN…

As children we tend to have an idea of what we want to be by the time we’re ten.  Before you decided to pursue the artistic dream of being a writer, what did you want to be and why?

The thing is, before I was ten I knew I wanted to be a writer, though by the time high school rolled around, I’d kind of forgotten. Writing was cool, singing was cool, but the future? Who knew?

One of my college roommates was a nurse, and I figured there was NO WAY I was smart enough to do that. Then I got into nursing school, and figured there was NO WAY I could handle the responsibility of the job.

Heh.

It was only after twenty-some years of nursing that I figured if I was ever going to do that writing thing, I better get on it. So now you know that my life was a clueless stumble from point A to point B – though I will say I’m pretty happy with where I am now.

-Isn’t that how we all get to where we’re going? Trodding the straight and narrow is so boring. At least when you stumble, exciting things happen…besides smashing face first into the ground!

Personally, I tend to be a bit on the introverted side so the thought of being in the actual presence of one of my favorite writers makes my heart race, my knees shake and tangles my tongue (yes classic fan girl behavior).  Who could reduce you to such a level and how do you imagine your initial meeting?

Neil Gaiman. OMG just saying his name …. I imagine if I ever met him, there’d be lots of silence with me sitting awkwardly, unable to connect my brain to any higher verbal functions, and him sitting awkwardly, wondering why this relatively normal woman has turned into a gibbering zombie.

-But you’d be such an attractive zombie, I’m sure he’d overlook the gibbering thing…

Growing up, what was your favorite book, comic, game or movie and did you create a character/player that might resemble you?

For a while I was the best friend Laura Ingalls never had, and then I lived in the attic next door to Sara Crewe (A Little Princess). I solved mysteries with Nancy, and survived the Crimean War with Florence Nightingale. So yeah, I pretty much plunked myself into just about every book I read. Actually, I kind of still do…

-Shhh! I won’t tell if you won’t…

Whether we’re plotters or pantsers (outlines not needed), creating our stories takes us on very memorable journeys.  Sometimes we may be part way through before we realize some major aspect of our story is just not working (plot, character, setting).  Have you ever hit this sharp, pointy snag and if so, how did you escape? We’re you battered and bruised or a bloody mess?

It’ s all about the characters. If I feel like something’s not working, I break out the notebook, grab my pencil (because pens make me crazy) and start writing from the POV of whichever character’s most involved in the situation that’s giving me trouble. Sometimes it’s more than one character, but either way, it helps to refresh my memory of who each person is and how they’d respond to things.

If that doesn’t work, I step away from the piece for a while and work on something else. Taking the dog for a walk can help, too, as can sleeping on it. Often when I wake up in the morning, I find yesterday’s plot macramé has unraveled itself nicely.

-I’m with you. Sometimes I’ll write from a secondary character’s POV just to figure out where in the hell are we going with this…

What is the best advice you can share with others? 

My standard answer to this question is: “WRITE”. But I’m going to vary that a little. Write some, share what you’ve written and ask for feedback, and write some more. Get yourself a couple good books, like “Goal, Motivation & Conflict” by Debra Dixon, or “Save The Cat” by Blake Snyder. Write some more. Sign up for a class – there are a bazillion on-line classes so you can work from home and on your own schedule. Write some more.

These steps can occur in any order you choose. The important thing is to learn the craft and to  get feedback. Oh, and write some more.

-And when all else fails, WRITE!

Now it’s time for quick fire round (and yes, I have been watching way too much Top Chef!)

Blades, guns, fists or feet?

Fangs. It’s all about the vampires, baby.

 -As long as they don’t sparkle, I’m good…

Favorite Fairy Tale of all time?

Does “The Lord Of The Rings” count? On their own, fairytales are a little…basic. I’d rather read a book that does a good job repurposing several to create something new.

 -LOTR works, and because we love you, we’ll count it as a fairytale!

Three titles and their authors sitting on your nightstand/bookcase/table/floor waiting to be read?

“Breathing His Air” by Debra Kayn (Crimson Romance), “Tarnished” by Karina Cooper, “Winter Knights” by Harper Frost, “Winterblaze” by Kristen Callihan, “The Chalice” by Nancy Bilyeau…oh, you said just three, right. Oops.

 -I’ve yet to find a writer that can stop at three…

Greatest one liner of all time?

Don’t know about “all time”, but right now my favorite one-liner happens in my current WIP (working title King Stud). The main character Danielle is exasperated with her best friend’s younger brother, who’s a carpenter. He tells her there’s so much original woodwork in the house she inherited it’s making his dick hard. She says, “You’re like twenty five years old. Your dick gets hard when the wind blows.”

And he says, “Twenty four, and…well…”

He’s pretty confident for a youngster.

 -*snort, giggle*  niceeee…….

Sarcastic witticism, Southern sweetness or Geeky disdain?

Sarcasm FTW!

 -and this is why we’re friends….

Strangest item currently taking up space in your writing cave?

I am the Queen of Clutter, and my “writing cave” is the dining room table. Someone has left a beret on the table. I don’t know who, and I don’t know why. I’m not writing about France or anything. Maybe I should be…

-Or maybe someone should take you to France? *waggles eyebrow*

Favorite supernatural creature?

Vampires. But you knew that. 

-*big grin*

Big love to Liv for braving our wilds once more and bringing such a great title with her!

Want to spice up your reading list this summer? Check out Liv’s latest release and must have: FOREVER AND EVER, AMEN 

Molly, a forty-something single mom, tangles with the wrong guy and gets a hell of a hickey. That blotch is really a demon’s mark, and she’ll have to face the three things that scare her most to get rid of it. First, Molly loses her job and then she has a near-sex experience with her philandering, not-quite-ex-husband. Worst of all, she has to sit by a hospital bed, wondering if her son is ever going to wake up.

The Powers That Be assign Cass to help her. He’s an angel who’s trying to earn a seat in the celestial choir by helping out a human in need. Vanquishing the demon would be his ticket up, but only if he plays by the rules. He’ll never earn his wings if he loses his heart to the lovely Molly. But she has even bigger things to worry about. She stands to lose her soul.

Buy Links:

Crimson Romance/ Amazon/ Barnes & Noble/ ARe

Liv Rancourt writes paranormal and romance, often at the same time. She lives with her husband, two teenagers, two cats and one wayward puppy. She likes to create stories that have happy endings, and finds it is a good way to balance her other job in the neonatal intensive care unit. Liv can be found on-line at her website (www.livrancourt.com), her blog (www.liv-rancourt.blogspot.com), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/liv.rancourt), or on Twitter (www.twitter.com/LivRancourt).

WAS IS NOT A VERB

Greetings and Salutations loyal readers of the blog,

Today I will be paying homage to one member of my critique group. She will know who she is, but I will keep her name out of it for now. Among the many things I hear during our working sessions is, “Was is not a verb.” Because I don’t edit while I ‘m writing, I didn’t know how bad my use of was is. This past week I opened a short story I wrote some time ago. The story in question is 7,000 words over 22 pages. Was occurs 72 times. That’s 1% of all the words in the story. waswaswaswaswaswas. when you line them up they aren’t impressive are they? They are no more impressive when you sprinkle them throughout a piece. In fact they take a good story and water it down to the point that nothing sticks in the colander of your brain after you’ve read it.

To all the people I’ve asked to read those stories, professional and personal, I apologize for my laziness. I believe that the story is first and foremost the most important component of writing. That said, it is a grave injustice to seed a good story with poor word choices. I’d like to think I know better and yet after doing one simple word search I have to admit the evidence shows otherwise. Improvement is something I strive for every time I sit down to write. It would seem I have plenty of room for growth.

I pledge to do a better job in the future selecting words. There is no shortage of words to choose from. Leaving me with no defense. Slothfulness is my sin.

If you write, take heed of my dilemma and try not to fall into the trap of using the easy choice. Aim higher than what comes too easily. Language is the most important tool in the writer’s tool kit. Treat it with respect, oil it, sharpen it, and keep it close to hand. A well used tool fits comfortably in the hand  of the craftsman who utilizes it often.

I’ll leave you with this quotation.

“Words are sacred.  They deserve respect.  If you get the right ones in the right order you can nudge the world.” Tom Stoppared

Write On,

Eerie Dwarf

Writer research…AKA–getting to live other people’s lives…

What do you think of  when you hear the words ‘writer’ and ‘research’?  When I first began to seriously pay attention to the necessary skills inheritant to a writer, I had this vague image in my head of an investigative reporter in a fedora and topcoat skulking around dark corners, spying on nefarious types.  Unfortunately that’s not the way it really is. My reference library of actual books has increased exponentially over the years with such titles as: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Mythology, The Search for ‘The Manchurian Candidate’, Monsters and Demons, Letters of Enoch, Navaho Indian Myths, Conflict, Action & Suspense, The Scene of a Crime,The Element Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, Werewolves, The Book of Everything Feckin’ Irish, and so on.

It’s varied enough, the titles are housed in my  bedroom closet so the impressionable minds in the house have limited access.  Trying to explain to a teacher why my sons understand how to tell a were from a shifter and what weapon is easily modified to take out hearts is not a conversation I want to repeat.

But, as much information as you can gain from various books from a wide range of subject experts, nothing beats expierecing it for yourself or talking to those who’ve already been there and done that. Granted, for Urban Fantasy, finding a reliable source who’s fought off a werewolf or back a slavering vamp down is a bit hard to find, but there are ways around such things.  For example, in SHADOW’S MOON, most of my research circled around wild wolves and their behaviors.  Not because the story is packed with information, but because I needed my characters reactions to read true to their animal natures.  Conversations with my brother in law who enjoys spending time dressed like a tree, helped me consider how a human hunter’s mind could work in conjunction with a wild predator’s intellect.  Viola! Alpha werewolf in human skin.

In my current work, I’m pulling on other sources. Sources Knight and I have known for years, and we’re lucky enough to still have in our life considering their chosen lifestyle revolves around repeated tours overseas to keep me and mine safe.  Not to say I’m not pouring through various texts on military tactics or the psychology of special forces, but those can’t show me the depth of courage and honor it really takes to face something that most of us (thank goodness) never have to face.  Not only has our friend been a great resource in the creation of my characters, but the more I talk to him, the more I realize how lucky we are to have him in our lives.

Despite my anti-social, watch from the sidelines typical reserve, I’m discovering just how much more beneficial it is to go and start a conversation with those in my life.  All those personalities, all those stories, it’s a treasure trove out there.  Each person has stories that boggle the mind, each of them have something to contribute  to my growing mental library of character motivation, scene creation and plot devices.  More than books, there is no better research tool than the world we live in, because more time than naught, it’s the unexpected realities that make heart pounding adventures we writers depend on.

What are some of your best research tools?

-Wicked

 

PS  Join us next week when LIV RANCOURT comes for a visit….

Experience in Writing

Do you think a writer needs to have lived a lot of life to be a good writer?  I’ve been fortunate enough to spend a great deal of time with writers who have lived a lot of life, and those who are just starting out in their lives.  I can immediately see how their life experiences have impacted their writing topics and styles, but I can’t say for sure that the creations of one is better than the other.

This concept also gives me a lot of hope.  With so many new experiences lately, I really want to believe that my experiences won’t just help me to become a more well-rounded person, but also a better writer.  I don’t want to feel that life gets in the way of my writing, as much as I want to feel that life helps to make me into a better writer.

If I’m always writing, I certainly can’t be living my life.  There definitely needs to be enough time to go out and have new experiences, meet new people, and build relationships.  Otherwise, I think I’d just be living through my characters, which could make for more interesting characters, but wouldn’t make me a very happy person.

Welcome to the swamp Sharon Buchbinder and Obsessions @sbuchbinder

First, Happy Memorial Day! For everyone out there who is or has served, you are truly appreciated and thanked from the bottom of our swampy hearts.

Please help me welcome the wonderful Sharon Buchbinder to the swamp today, sharing her newest release!

Zombies and all other swamp things, shuffle off the path. No biting, nibbling, or catcalling. Got it? Good.

Check it out and say hello

Obsession by Sharon Buchbinder

Now Available from the Wild Rose Press and at Amazon

A desperate mother…

A Mexican drug lord…

A dangerous match.

A year after a barbaric childbirth, complete with a near-death experience and an encounter with her guardian angel, Angie Edmonds is just happy she and her son, Jake, are alive. She’s finally in a good place: clean, sober, and employed as a defense attorney. But at the end of a long work day, she finds herself in a parent’s worst nightmare: Jake has been kidnapped and taken across the Mexican border by a cult leader who believes the child is the “Chosen One.”

Stymied by the US and Mexican legal systems, Angie is forced to ask the head of a Mexican crime syndicate for help. Much to her chagrin, she must work with Alejandro Torres, a dangerously attractive criminal and the drug lord’s right-hand man. Little does she know Alejandro is an undercover federal agent, equally terrified of blowing his cover—and falling in love with her.

Excerpt:

“Who are you? Who is that giant? What did you say to him?”

The pony-tailed man flashed a grin, the smile reaching his sky-blue colored eyes, giving him an appealing boyish look. “The big guy’s name is Tio. I told Tio to truss Raul up like the pig he is and to bring him to Isabel Ramirez. She’ll know exactly what to do with him.”

“Who are you?”

The movie-star-handsome man stopped, bent down until he was eye-to-eye with Angie.

“I found your passport tossed onto Raul’s desk, Angela Edmonds from the U.S. of A. I like that name. You look like an angel.”

She shook her head and the street twirled. “I’m no angel.” She steadied herself on his well muscled, naked arm. Rather than creeping her out, the skin on skin contact with her rescuer reassured her that he was a real human and not an angel conjured up in fevered religious delusion and desperation. “You sound like an American. You haven’t answered my question. What’s your name?”

“Torres.” Still holding her ID, he strode to the driver’s side of the car, hopped in and flashed a dazzling grin. “You could call me your hero because I’m taking you to see the woman who can help you find your son. My name is Alejandro Espinosa Santoyo Torres. But most people just call me Alejandro.”

Now Available from the Wild Rose Press and at Amazon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

After working in health care delivery for years, Sharon Buchbinder became an association executive, a health care researcher, and an academic in higher education. She had it all–a terrific, supportive husband, an amazing son and a wonderful job. But that itch to write (some call it an obsession) kept beckoning her to “come on back” to writing fiction. When not attempting to make students, colleagues, and babies laugh, she can be found herding cats, waiting on a large gray dog, fishing, dining with good friends, or writing. You can find her at www.sharonbuchbinder.com

Paranormal Romance Guild Winner Best Mystery/Thriller, 2012

~~~~~~~~~~~

Where Sharon Buchbinder can be found on the Internet

Website/Blog http://sharonbuchbinder.com/blog/

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001IODIE2

Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4417344.Sharon_Buchbinder

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/sharon.buchbinder.romanceauthor

Twitter @sbuchbinder https://twitter.com/sbuchbinder

The Wild Rose Press http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/

A NEW MASTER?

Greetings and Salutations loyal readers of the blog,

I have been remiss in fulfilling my obligation to blog once a week. This is not acceptable so I’m holding myself accountable here. I let my panties get in a bunch due to the overwhelming lack of a response I received from my last post. With that said I will do my utmost not to be absent again.

Now that I’ve fallen on my sword and exposed my sensitive nature to both readers of my blog lets move on.

I don’t normally do book reviews on my blog post, but we are shooting for the exceptions today. If you are not living under a rock you probably know that Joe Hill’s new novel NOS4A2 hit the book stores late last month. I read Joe’s most recent work over two days. An unusual feat for me.

No spoilers here! 
What I will tell you is Mr. Hill’s love of words comes through in the careful way he weaves them together to create characters, who took me by the hand and lead me into a world I didn’t always want to be a part of. Yet, I was unable to pull my eyes away from the page. Joe’s phrases raised a visceral response in me. I found myself pacing the house, the book resting in one hand, turning pages with the other. Sometimes agitated, other times nervous, but always responding to Mr. Hill’s flexing of my reality . The language throughout this novel is exactly what all authors would like to be able to deliver. Joe has broken down the wall between Literary and Genre Horror with a heavy hammer. He is not the first to do so, but it is encouraging to see another author pull another brick out of that wall. 

As a writer myself I was humbled when I set NOS4A2 down. If I could get to one of Joe’s book signings I would reenact the scene from Wayne’s World, kowtowing “I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy.”

When I first read A Heart Shaped Box I mentioned here, that I was clearing space on my bookshelves for all the Joe Hill novels to follow. I’m glad I left plenty of room.

Todays quote comes from Joe Hill’s first novel.

“He understood that the ghost existed first and foremost within his own head. That maybe ghosts always haunted minds, not places. If he wanted to take a shot at it, he’d have to turn the barrel against his own temple.”
― Joe Hill, Heart-Shaped Box