1 May 2015 - FAMOUS BIRTHDAY'S TODAY

FAMOUS BIRTHDAYS TODAY

G'day folks,

Today is May Day. Do you know who shares your birthday? I do. Here are some of them.

1901 - Antal Szerb, Hungarian author and historian (d. 1945)
1905 - Leila Hyams, actress (Big House, Ruggles of Red Gap), born in NYC, New York
1905 - Nikolai Tikhonov, Soviet PM (1980-85)
1905 - Paul Desruisseaux, French Canadian lawyer, businessman and politician (d. 1982)
1906 - Horst Schumann, Nazi physician (d. 1983)
1907 - Jan Pauw, CEO (Aruban Theater Group)
1907 - Oliver Hill, civil rights attorney (d. 2007)
1907 - Kate Smith, American singer (d. 1986)
1908 - Giovanni Guareschi, Italian writer (Don Camillo, Peppone)
1909 - Ethel Jane Cain, original UK Speaking Clock voice
1909 - George Melachrino, composer
1909 - Janis Ritsos, writer
1909 - Yannis Ritsos, Greek poet
1910 - Cliff Battles, Akron Oh, NFL hall of famer (Braves, Redskins)
1912 - Anna Pollak, mezzo-soprano
1912 - Felipe Padilla de Leon, composer
1912 - Otto Kretschmer, German U-Boat commander (d. 1998)
1913 - Walter Susskind, Praha (Prague) Czechoslovakia, conductor
1913 - Louis Nye, American comedian and actor (d. 2005)
1915 - Archie Williams, American athlete (d. 1993)
1916 - Glenn Ford, Quebec Canada, actor (Cade's County, Big Heat, Midway)
1916 - Jane Jacobs, Scranton, Pa, urbanologist
1917 - Danielle Darrieux, France, actress (Alexander the Great, Mayerling)
1917 - John Beradino, actor (Steve Hardy-General Hospital), born in Los Angeles, California
1917 - Louis G "Lo" van Hensbergen, actor/author (Amsterdam Affair)
1917 - Ahron Soloveichik, Orthodox Jewish rabbi
1918 - Jack Paar, Canton Ohio, American television host of the Jack Paar Show (d. 2004)
1918 - Gersh Budker, Russian physicist (d. 1977)
1919 - Alwyn Farquharson, Scottish clan-captain/large landowner
1919 - Dan O'Herlihy, Ireland, actor (Fail Safe, Last Starfighter, Robocop)
1921 - 12th Lord Middleton, English large landowner/multi-millionaire
1921 - Paul Daels, president (Flemish Iron Pilgrimage committee)
1923 - Joseph Heller, Brooklyn New York, American novelist (Catch-22, 1963 Arts & Letters Award)
1924 - Earl George, composer
1924 - Enrico Josif, composer
1924 - Patricia Roberts Harris, 1st US African American woman cabinet member
1924 - Terry Southern, writer
1925 - Chuck Bednarik, Penn, NFL hall of fame center/linebacker (Phila)
1925 - Malcolm Scott Carpenter, Boulder Colo, astronaut (Mercury 7-Aurora 7)
1925 - Scott Carpenter, Boulder, CO, pilot and astronaut (d. 2013)
1926 - Peter Lax, Hungarian Mathematician
1927 - Greta Andersen, Denmark, 100m freestyle swimmer (Olympic-gold-1948)
1927 - Israr Ali, cricket pace bowler (Pakistani in 4 Tests 1952-59)
1927 - Lord Bathurst, English earl/large landowner/multi-millionaire
1927 - Roland Verhavert, Flemish screen writer (Sea Gulls Die in the Harbor)
1927 - William Mitchell Byers, musician
1928 - Raoul Servais, Belgian cartoonist/pres (l'ASIFA)
1928 - Desmond Titterington, Northern Irish racer (d. 2002)
1929 - Sonny James, [James Loden], Hackelburg AL, rocker (Young Love)
1929 - Sonny Ramadhin, cricket spin bowler (great WI)
1930 - Little Walter, [Marion Walter Jacobs], rocker
1930 - Ollie Matson, NFL halfback (Cardinals, Rams, Lions, Eagles)
1930 - Richard Riordan, mayor of Los Angeles (R, 1993-2001), born in NYC, New York
1934 - Alette Beaujon, Curacaos poet (Gedichten on the Bay & Elsewhere)
1934 - Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas, Mexican politician
1935 - Ann Robinson, American actress
1937 - Bo Nilsson, Swedish composer (Doppelspiel)
1937 - Una Stubbs, English actress
1939 - Judy Collins, singer (Send in the Clowns, Clouds), born in Seattle, Washington
1939 - Max Robinson, Richmond Virginia, American broadcast journalistr (ABC Evening News) (d. 1988)
1939 - Ray Aranha, actor (Nick-Married People), born in Miami, Florida
1940 - Elsa Peretti, Italian jewelry designer
1941 - Barbara Barendrecht, [BHM Wurfbain], actress (Dirty Picture)
1941 - Juraj Hatrick, composer
1942 - Stephen Macht, Phila Pa, actor (Joe-Knots Landing, Cagney & Lacey)
1943 - Joy Harmon, St Louis Mo, actress (Cool Hand Luke)
1944 - Rita Coolidge, Nashville Tn, singer (Higher & Higher, We're All Alone)
1944 - Suresh Kalmadi, Indian politician
1946 - Bruce Robinson, actor (Story of Adele H)
1946 - Jerry Weiss, rocker (Blood Sweat & Tears), born in NYC, New York
1946 - Joanna Lumley, Kashmir India, actress (Abs Fab, OHM's Secret Service)
1946 - Nick Fortune, [Nicholas Fortuna], rock bassist (Buckinghams Chicago)
1946 - Tony Ashton, rocker
1946 - Valentin Muratov, USSR, floor exercise gymnist (Olympic-gold-1956)
1946 - John Woo, Hong Kong director
1947 - Carlos Ward, rocker (B T Express)
1947 - Ghulam Abbas, cricketer (scored 12 & 0 in only Test for Pakistan 1967)
1947 - Sergio Infante, Chilean poet and writer
1948 - James Wise, US soul singer (Archie Bell & the Drells)
1949 - Douglas Barr, actor (Howie-Fall Guy), born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
1949 - Margo Miller, SF California, fencer-epee (Olympics-96)
1949 - Tim Hodgkinson, English composer and musician (Henry Cow)
1949 - Paul Teutul, Sr., founder of Orange County Choppers
1950 - Marina Stepanova, Russian hurdler (world record 1986)
1950 - Dann Florek, American actor
1950 - Danny McGrain, Scottish footballer
1951 - Gordon Greenidge, cricketer (great West Indian opener 1974-91)
1951 - Antony Worrall Thompson, English celebrity chef
1953 - Elquemedo Willett, cricketer (WI lefty spinner early 70's)
1953 - Felix Hanemann, rocker (Zebra)
1953 - Mindy Moore, LPGA golfer
1953 - Glen Ballard, American songwriter and record producer
1954 - Michael Scott, reporter (Entertainment Tonight)
1954 - Ray Parker Jr, rock guitarist/vocalist (Ghostbusters), born in Detroit, Michigan
1954 - Taslim Arif, cricketer (Pakistani keeper/batsman, 210 v Aust 1980)
1954 - Joel Rosenberg, science fiction author
1955 - Julien Wiener, cricketer (Australian opening batsman 1979-80)
1955 - Nick Feldman, English musician
1956 - Byron Stewart, Baxter Springs Ks, actor (Warren Coolidge-St Elsewhere)
1957 - Dick Swett, (Rep-D-New Hampshire)
1957 - Paul D Ronney, ScD/astronaut (STS 83 alt), born in Los Angeles, California
1957 - Rick Darling, cricketer (accident-prone/dashing Aussie opener 1978-79)
1957 - Steve Farris, rock guitarist (Mr Mister)
1957 - Ko Otani, Japanese composer
1959 - Eddie Johnson, NBA guard/forward (Houston Rockets, Indiana Pacers)
1959 - Paul Smith, rock saxophonist (Haircut 100)
1960 - Albert McDonald, Dartmouth NS, US canoe (alt-Olympics-96)
1961 - Charlie O'Brien, Tulsa OK, catcher (Brewers, Mets, Braves, Blue Jays)
1961 - Steven Cauthen, jockey (1978 Kentucky Derby-Affirmed)
1961 - Marilyn Milian, current judge on The People's Court
1962 - Gary Clark, NFL wide receiver (Miami Dolphins)
1962 - Paula Weishoff, Hollywood CA, volleyballer (Oly-Sil-84, br-92, 96)
1962 - Reggie Pleasant, CFL cornerback (Edmonton Eskimos)
1963 - Robert Seguso, Minneapolis MN, tennis star
1964 - Carlos Aalbers, Dutch soccer player (NEC)
1964 - Ruth Picardie, journalist
1964 - Sarah FE Armstrong-Jones, daughter of princess Margaret & Lord Snowdon
1965 - Jon Warren, Akron Ohio, 1.5k runner
1966 - Armando Reynoso, San Luis Potosi Mexico, pitcher (Colorado Rockies)
1966 - Charlie Schlatter, actor (18 Again, Heartbreak Hotel), born in NYC, New York
1966 - Johnny Colt, Cherry Point NC, rock bassist (Black Crowes)
1966 - Mark Coogan, Manhaset NY, marathoner (Olympics-96)
1966 - Olaf Thon, German football player
1967 - Bill Schultz, NFL/WLAF offensive tackle (Den Broncos, Scot Claymores)
1967 - Marvcus Patton, NFL linebacker (Washington Redskins)
1967 - Scott Coffey, HI, actor (Satisfaction, Shout)
1967 - Tawni Cable, Salem Oregon, playmate (June 1989)
1967 - Yael Arad, Israel, Women's half middleweight judoka (Oly-1996)
1967 - Tim McGraw, American musician
1968 - Anton Scheutjens, soccer player (Roda JC)
1968 - Lisa Campbell, Victoria Australia, badminton player (Olympics-96)
1968 - Mark Scott, Paramus NJ, rock drummer (Trixter-Give It To Me Good)
1968 - Denise Masino, American Female Bodybuilder
1968 - Oliver Bierhoff, German footballer
1968 - Sol Kyung-gu, South Korean actor
1968 - D'arcy Wretzky, American musician (The Smashing Pumpkins)
1969 - Billy Owens, NBA forward/guard (Sacramento Kings)
1969 - Bryan Marchment, Scarborough, NHL defenseman (Edmonton Oilers)
1969 - Carrie Stevens, playmate (June 1997), born in Buffalo, New York
1969 - Wes Anderson, American director and writer
1970 - Alex Van Pelt, NFL quarterback (Buffalo Bills)
1970 - Allen DeGraffenreid, WLAF wide receiver (Scotland Claymores)
1970 - Alundis Brice, NFL cornerback (Dallas Cowboys)
1970 - Damon Diletti, Australian field hockey goal keeper (Oly-silver-92, 96)
1971 - Ethan Albright, NFL tackle (Miami Dolphins, Buffalo Bills)
1971 - Jamie Marie Swenson, Miss USA-South Dakota (1997)

Clancy's comment: There ya go. I guess it's just the luck of the draw, eh?

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30 April 2015 - GREAT SHOTS

GREAT SHOTS

G'day folks,

Time to promote the work of some sensational photographers.

Clancy's comment:  Wow. Top marks for those who were there at the time and clicked the button.


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29 April 2015 - ALAN BAXTER - Guest Author

ALAN BAXTER

- Guest Author -

G'day folks,

Welcome to an interview with another emerging Australian author. Alan Baxter is a British-Australian author who writes dark fantasy, horror and sci-fi. 

Welcome, Alan ...

1.      TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF AND YOUR WRITING JOURNEY.

I’m a British-Australian author, I write mostly dark fantasy, horror and sci-fi (but I dabble in other genres too), I ride a motorcycle and love my dog. I also teach Kung Fu and run the Illawarra Kung Fu Academy. I live among dairy paddocks on the beautiful south coast of NSW, Australia, with my wife, son, dog and cat. My writing journey began with telling lies as a child, then writing them down as I got older. It continues to this day.

2.      WHEN AND HOW DID YOU BECOME A WRITER?

I think everyone who is a writer is born one – it’s just whether or not we indulge that calling or not. I decided to actively pursue writing as a profession in my mid-20s after dabbling as a hobbyist all my life until then.

3.       WHAT TYPE OF PREPARATION DO YOU DO FOR A MANUSCRIPT? DO YOU PLAN EVERYTHING FIRST OR JUST SHOOT FROM THE HIP?

I plan loosely, make lots of notes, set up a rough timeline, then just start running with it. If the story starts going somewhere different to my notes and original ideas, I stick with the story, not the notes.

4.      WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WRITER?

Creation. I get to invent these characters and creatures and worlds and make stuff up about them, and the best bit is that then other people seem to really enjoy that. Nothing tops that feeling when someone tells you they love what you’re doing.

5.      WHAT IS THE HARDEST THING ABOUT BEING A WRITER?

Making a living!

6.      WHAT WERE YOU IN A PAST LIFE, BEFORE YOU BECAME A WRITER?

I’ve been many things – van driver, accounts clerk, fishmonger, aquarium salesman, bartender. And more.

7.      WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WRITING ACHIEVEMENT?

In long fiction, selling a trilogy – The Alex Caine Series – to HarperVoyager was an absolute high point. In short fiction, selling a short story – The Chart of the Vagrant Mariner – to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, which was my short fiction goal ever since I seriously started looking for publication.

8.      WHAT ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT?

I’m currently working on a new collaborative action/adventure/monster novel with David Wood and I’m laying the groundwork for my next standalone novel, which will be a kind of supernatural/horror/crime/police procedural thing.

9.      WHAT INSPIRES YOU?

Everything.

10.  WHAT GENRE DO YOU WRITE?

All of them.

11.  DO YOU HAVE ANY TIPS FOR NEW WRITERS?

Read, read, read, write, write, write. Repeat.

12.  DO YOU SUFFER FROM WRITER’S BLOCK?

Not really. I get stuck sometimes, but I go out for a ride on the motorbike, or mow the lawn, or walk the dog – something where my hindbrain can be active – and I usually think my way around it.

13.  DO YOU HAVE A PREFERRED WRITING SCHEDULE?

No. I write whenever I can.

14.  DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE WRITING PLACE?

I like to be in my study at home. My wife calls it my cave. I call it the BaxCave. But I can work anywhere if I have to. But I like the peace and quiet and isolation of the BaxCave with the door shut.

15.  WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST JOY IN WRITING?

Telling stories that people enjoy!

16.  WHO IS YOUR FAVOURITE AUTHOR AND WHY?

Clive Barker. He’s an unrivalled fantasist, an incredible wordsmith, and has probably had a larger influence on me than any other writer.

17.  WHAT’S THE GREATEST COMPLIMENT YOU EVER RECEIVED FROM A READER?

“I couldn’t put it down!”

18.  WHAT WAS THE WORST COMMENT FROM A READER?

Honestly, I can’t really think of any. There have been some, of course, and some less than glowing reviews and stuff like that, but I don’t dwell on it. Nothing particular comes to mind as the worst.

19.  WRITERS ARE SOMETIMES INFLUENCED BY THINGS THAT HAPPEN IN THEIR OWN LIVES. ARE YOU?

All the time. Everything we write is coloured by our experience and we all draw on our own lives and the lives of those around us. More often than not it’s subconscious, I think, but I do it consciously sometimes too.

20.  OTHER THAN WRITING, WHAT ELSE DO YOU LOVE?

My family, Kung Fu, reading, dogs, motorcycling, comics books, movies, being out in nature… There’s so much in life to love.

21.  DID YOU HAVE YOUR BOOK / BOOKS PROFESSIONALLY EDITED BEFORE PUBLICATION?

Absolutely, that’s a big part of the publisher’s job!

22.  WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR THE FUTURE?

Keep writing.

23.  WHAT FIVE BOOKS WOULD YOU TAKE TO HEAVEN?

Surely, if there was such a thing as heaven, every book would already be there. It hardly deserves to bear the name of heaven if they weren’t.

24.  DO YOU SEE YOURSELF IN ANY OF YOUR CHARACTERS?

Lots of characters have autobiographical elements. Perhaps the most for me would be in Alex Caine, with my latest trilogy from Voyager. He’s a career martial artist like I am and has a very similar set of guiding philosophies. But beyond that he’s a very different person to me.

25.  DOES THE PUBLISHING INDUSTRY FRUSTRATE YOU?

Yep.

26.  DID YOU EVER THINK OF QUITTING?

Never.

27.  WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE MANUSCRIPT TO WRITE? WHY?

I love all my babies!

28.   HOW WOULD YOU DEFINE ‘SUCCESS’ AS A WRITER.

Finishing a story. Everything else is gravy. After that, there are levels of success – publication, good payment, awards, bestseller status. Writers are always striving for the next thing, no matter how successful they are.

29.  WHAT SHOULD READERS WALK AWAY FROM YOUR BOOKS KNOWING? HOW SHOULD THEY FEEL?

 I hope they’ll feel like they had a rollicking good time and were thoroughly entertained. If they’ve been given pause to think about some stuff too, even better.

30.  HOW MUCH THOUGHT GOES INTO DESIGNING A BOOK COVER?

Hopefully, a great deal. The covers I’ve had involvement on have been very carefully considered. People absolutely judge a book by it’s cover, so it’s important.

31.  WHAT’S YOUR ULTIMATE DREAM?

A continued career with an ever-growing readership and earnings to live comfortably.

32.    WRITING IS ONE THING. WHAT ABOUT MARKETING YOU, YOUR BOOKS AND YOUR BRAND? ANY THOUGHTS?

It’s essential. You have to be out there to some degree, at least have a website where people can learn about you and your books. Otherwise, the level of involvement is up to the individual. But the harder you work, the more successful you’ll be.

33.   ARE YOUR BOOKS SELF-PUBLISHED?

In general, no. I have self-published a sci-fi novella called “Ghost of the Black” and a writer’s guide to help people create better fight scenes called “Write the Fight Right”. My debut novel, RealmShift, started out self-published, but got picked up by Gryphonwood Press. All the details of my other books, including sample chapters, are on my website at www.warriorscribe.com

34.  DESCRIBE YOURSELF IN FIVE WORDS.

Just a guy telling stories.

35.  WHAT PISSES YOU OFF MOST?

Willful ignorance and bigotry.

36.  WHAT IS THE TITLE OF THE LAST BOOK YOU READ? GOOD ONE?

I recently reread Clive Barker’s collections, The Books of Blood. Absolutely brilliant.

37.   WHAT WOULD BE THE VERY LAST SENTENCE YOU’D WRITE?

The End.

38.   WHAT WOULD MAKE YOU HAPPIER THAN YOU ARE NOW? CARE TO SHARE?

More sales, more readers. More health and happiness. Less ignorance in the world.

39.   ANYTHING YOU’D LIKE TO ADD?

Check out my website at www.warriorscribe.com and find me on Twitter @AlanBaxter

If you read my books, thank you, and I hope you enjoy them. If you’re looking for a good place to start, try Bound: Alex Caine #1.

 http://www.alanbaxteronline.com/

 Clancy's comment: Well done, Alan. Agree with you about the creative process. It's great to get carried away with characters you've invented. 

Keep going, and good luck. 

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