That’s right. The weekend is here. Two whole days of not having to go to work. Two whole days of skipping the grind that pays the bills and keeps food in my belly and a roof over my head. It’s a beautiful day here in Rochester, NY. Blue sky without a cloud in sight. Moderate temperatures and low humidity, I think I’ll spend the bulk of it out on my patio, soaking it all in.
So for me, the day is starting off well. I got almost nine full hours of sleep. I can’t remember the last time that happened. Certainly well before my knock on the noggin. Read More
The Olympic Games are here and already, they are half way done. Medals have been given with the winners standing on the podiums to receive their accolades and hear their national anthems. I must admit, I’ve been watching. Swimming, gymnastics, soccer (football), and rugby are just some of the sports I’ve watched.
I’m fascinated with the games. They only happen every four years and for most of the sports, it is their only place to shine before the world. Forget basketball, golf and tennis. The athletes who participate in these sports have somewhere to go after the games and earn a living playing their sport.
What about archery, Track and Field, Handball, and Field Hockey? Let’s not forget swimming and gymnastics after all. Where do these athletes go after the games. Is there such a thing as a professional field hockey league? How about a professional archery league, or any of them. Nope. The only way they can make a living and still play in their sport is through endorsements. If you’re lucky enough to someone to sign on and endorse you.
As I was thinking about the Olympic Games, I couldn’t help but compare them to the games that are routinely played at the Community Celebrations in the ‘Mona Bendarova Adventures’. Set in a post-apocalyptic world millennia in the future, Mona’s community knows the value of competing in games. The difference of course is the her games are decided not on wins and losses but life and death. Winners live, losers don’t. It’s that simple.
As I think about the games, I can’t help be relate them to the real life gladiatorial games of the roman era or the fictional games brought to life in ‘The Hunger Games’. Contestants fought to win and stay alive. Most failed and died on the field of play. The same is true in Mona’s world. Who would have thought that dance competitions were waged with a noose around one’s neck and the winner is the sole survivor. Many stories in the past have hosted hunting games, where the prey are people. In Mona’s world, they too have a similar hunt, only the prey are released arms bound and naked knowing full well that they will not survive.
Yet, why do they do it? To continue to comparison, in Mona’s world instead of country competing between country, it’s house estates against other house estates. They compete for the honor it will bring their house, where their family lives. They also know that their deaths will not be wasted. Their bodies will be converted to feed their families. It is the way of things in her world and they all accept it as a natural order of things.
Really though? Why do they willingly go off and compete in these games? I’ll tell you. It’s a far better fate than being one of thousands, transported to a conversion procession center that is no different from a slaughterhouse. At least this way, they can use every means possible to win and survive. Afterall, it is possible to win and survive. Just ask Julie in ‘Broken Steele’. She wins her dance competition. Which means, she lives to see tomorrow and feast upon the meat of her competitors. Now that’s a gold medal in of itself.
I read this quote on imagination the other day on social media. Though I’m sure I don’t have it exact, word for word, I know that this is the sentiment.
“I don’t subscribe to the stuff I write about. I just have a vivid imagination.”
This statement rings clearly in my psyche. The sentiment allows me to explain to people about the stories I capture in my writings and in my artwork. In short, it describes me in a very succinct way. I believe it fits me to a tee.
When you read the books I write, you feel the anguish my characters feel. Sit inside the minds of the perpetrators as they deliver their punishments to their unwilling victims. Follow along inside the minds of the victims and feel their pain. Identify with the characters and cringe as they do as they suffer their unwanted brutal attacks. Cheer for the sufferer even time they achieve a victory against their attacker.
While I wrote these stories, that is true, picturing myself as the perpetrator is disturbing to me. Violence against any living being, human or otherwise, I find as abhorrent. I cannot imagine me actually doing the violence I write about. Frankly, it turns my stomach. I can’t imagine myself forcibly raping another person, man or woman. It is unimaginable to view myself as a boxer, fighter, soldier or whatever. I just can’t see it. I don’t consider myself a pacifist, I simply abhor the notion of violence against another.
Why is it then that I enjoy movies that portray acts of violence? Why are my favorite video games fraught with hunting down, attacking and killing other characters? I saw a movie the other day, entitled ‘Vice’ starring Bruce Willis. I had never heard of it before. I never saw trailers or other promotions for it. I simply saw it on my online guide and watched it.
While I enjoyed it, I cursed it at the same time. The premise of the movie was one I have been developing on my own to wrap many of my storylines into a single volume. Shit! So now, I can’t use that one anymore. It would have been perfect. But, I digress.
Other people have trouble seeing the conflict in my mind. Most say, “If I can write it, I must be able to do it.” It’s also been suggested that “If I can write it, I must be a misogynist.” While I understand how people make that leap, I don’t agree with it. I simply have an active imagination which I choose to document.
Besides, not all of my imaginative visions are violent. Many are loving, touching scenes of people who are deeply into each other. Others are sexy, usually graphic scenes of the greatest gift Mother Nature could have given the human race. That, of course, is SEX. In case you haven’t noticed. I love sex. I love the beauty I see in mature adult women’s bodies. It doesn’t matter how old they are, how big or small, or whether they are tall or short. The mature, naked female body, in my opinion, is the best gift God or Mother Nature gave us.
Unfortunately, these other scenes running through my imagination are already being written by thousands of other authors. From what I can tell, they sell well enough. If I want my writings to support my lifestyle, perhaps I should write my own.
Sorry but I don’t want to regurgitate the same thing that others are already doing. I want to write unique stories that no one else is writing. Just as I love seeing women who are different from most, who wear asymmetrical clothing, custom jewelry, interesting piercings, gorgeous tattoos and other adornments that are uncommon and individual, I like the idea of writing fresh stories that are unique and different.
What I find most fascinating is the more violent the story, the more graphic and brutal it is, the better it sells. WTF? I recognize that either you like the stories or you don’t. There is no middle ground. I’m okay with that. I’m just thankful for the thousands out there that do like and buy the stories.
Whether you believe me or not, I don’t subscribe, support and live this behavior. It is the product of my vivid imagination. Those closest to me, my friends, family, and lover know the truth. In reality, I’m a pussy. Just don’t try to stop me. That’s when my fangs come out.
In the meantime, as long as people buy it, I’ll continue to write it.
[twitter_follow screen_name=”richverry”]
Care to comment? Please do. I always love reading what others have to say.
Do you really know him? I have asked myself that question many of times when I was dating, engaged, hearing about my daughter’s’ date(s) and more recently playing a jurist from my couch as I watch Dateline and 48 hours!
This topic came back to the forefront of my mind as I read Richard Verry’s new novella, ‘The Breakup’.
Ginny is presented to us as she leaves work and goes home to get ready for a date with Doug. She is hoping and even expecting a marriage proposal. She is so way off as he has other ideas.
He engages her and surprises her with his detail of brutality. His desire to add her to his “trophies” scares her enough to beg for her life and the reader begins to question his lack of compassion as it relates to her. He is so consumed by his own sexual needs and fantasies, that this escapade has the reader thinking that Doug is heartless and questions how he could do this to Ginny. There are sexual needs fulfilled on both sides yet the story brings me back to my original question.
I know life and choosing a life partner is a risk. Yet aren’t there some signals that one may see that are ‘red flags’? Is he a loner? Is he too good to be true? If the answer is yes, than you are warned that it must be and to keep your guard up.
Ginny fell hard for Doug and she was rewarded in such a brutal, horrific way. Her pleasure was short-lived and the end was unexpected. The reader, meaning me, hoped that had she won his heart and he would change his plans accordingly. I was surprised that his own needs won out and that his feelings for Ginny were part of a game. It’s not a game I want to be part of and yet I know it happens.
If you liked Richard Verry’s novella, ‘Her Client’, this is a must read for you. Sit back and enjoy the roller coaster ride and ask yourself the same question, ‘Do you really know him’?
What do you think?
Janet M.
Available on his website, Amazon, Smashwords and your favorite eBook retailer.
[twitter_follow screen_name=”richverry”]
I’m fascinated with the games. They only happen every four years and for most of the sports, it is their only place to shine before the world. Forget basketball, golf and tennis. The athletes who participate in these sports have somewhere to go after the games and earn a living playing their sport.
Yet, why do they do it? To continue to comparison, in Mona’s world instead of country competing between country, it’s house estates against other house estates. They compete for the honor it will bring their house, where their family lives. They also know that their deaths will not be wasted. Their bodies will be converted to feed their families. It is the way of things in her world and they all accept it as a natural order of things.
