Category Archives: Blog

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Memorial Day Tribute

I come from a military family. I wanted to write something today in tribute not only to my own family members who have served in the armed forces, but to all the men and women who put on a uniform everyday to defend their nation. With all the busyness that has been accosting me, I barely had time to write this. I wanted to include photos. Even if I did, it still wouldn’t seem like enough. So, I will do the best I can with the time I have.

My grandfathers both fought in WWII. Don Marchand was a motorcycle messenger for the Army in the European theatre. He ran over a landmine and survived. While he wasn’t physically disabled, per se, he lived with that injury for the rest of his life. Max Sitton served in the Navy and later the Air Force. He was a practical joker and loved pranking his comrades. It was him who inspired my mother, Tina (Sitton) Marchand, to enlist in the Air National Guard. It was there she met my father, Joseph Marchand, who was an MP (military police). Mom retired from the Air Guard shortly after my first brother, Josiah, was born, but Dad stayed in for ten more years. He made several tours overseas in Europe, and his unit was nearly activated to serve in the first Gulf War. He retired in the mid-’90s after achieving the rank of senior master sergeant.

In all honesty, I’ve considered enlisting several times over the years because of the stories I’ve heard from my parents. Despite that, I’ve always had an interest in the military. That’s probably why my first novel, Pandora’s Box, is military science fiction. (Hey, I had to sneak a little shameless self-promotion in here, hehe).

These are just a few stories. I had other relatives who served in WWII. They all deserve a tribute. So do all the soldiers who’ve served out great nation. You’ve heard all the clichés (“Freedom isn’t free,” etc.), but they still express a good sentiment. Like all holidays, they are reminders of what she should do all year long. Whenever you see a soldier, tell him, “Thank you.” Even if you disagree with the wars we’re involved in, these men and women fought, bled, and even died so you could have the freedom to disagree. You still owe them for gratitude.

I find myself wanting to express that gratitude even more. I hope I–and all of us–remember to do that everyday.

So today when you’re enjoying barbecues and a day off work, remember the soldiers who didn’t get a day off to spend with their families so you could be free.

Happy Memorial Day.

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Elektra is Dead (or ‘I was in a Car Accident’)

I said I would explain later, and that time has come.

A huge monkey wrench was thrown into my plans because I was in a car accident Tuesday. Nobody was hurt (not badly. I was sore for a few days), but my car is in bad shape. The incident actually inspired my poem for NaPoWriMo day 23 because I named my car Elektra after the Marvel Comics character, but I digress.

I went to visit my Grandma at the nursing home she was recently moved to in Fort Wayne, Indiana. After spending a few hours with her, I left to get ballroom dance lessons from a friend and hang out for a bit afterward. I came to a stoplight on a busy street. Traffic was thick since it was 4:30pm and people were heading home from work. The light turned green and I moved forward. Just past the light, the quasi-SUV in front of me stopped, so I did, too.

There was a crash.

I suddenly found myself sandwiched between two cars. Someone had rear-ended me.

Both of the other drivers were soccer moms driving larger, sturdier vehicles than me (Elektra is a 1998 Ford Escort). The one in front of me said she stopped because of traffic. I couldn’t see past her, so I can neither confirm nor disprove that. The woman behind me said she thought her two-year-old son in the backseat was choking on something, so she looked back to check on him and didn’t realize I’d stopped.

Both of them had fairly minor cosmetic damage to their vehicles, but since I was scrunched between them, I took the brunt. The hood was arched about a foot, the headlights were shattered, and there was a huge dent on the front. The rear bumper was bent at a slight angle. I shut the car off immediately, but after 20-30 minutes of calling and texting, I tried to start it again and it wouldn’t turn over. The damage doesn’t look too bad, but since it’s 15 years old and has 225,000 miles on it, insurance will probably declare it totaled.

Anyway, the two women eventually left but I had to wait for a friend to pick me up and for a tow truck to take my car away. I did hang out with some friends to celebrate a birthday at a Mexican restaurant that night, though.

As usual with me, the gravity of my situation didn’t hit me until later. I’ve been quite frustrated since Tuesday. I get constant calls from the insurance companies involved in the accident (including one where they were running scared to set up a free chiropractor appointment for me even though I wasn’t hurt. They must be afraid I’ll sue). My plans have been forced to change. I’ve had to start looking for a new car. It hasn’t been fun.

What’s ironic was I had been telling people how grateful I was that my car had lasted this long. I’ve had it since 2006. I’ve driven it longer than the 1990 Dodge Daytona I had before that. It probably could’ve gone another 50,000 miles. It was like how God made the Israelites’ sandals not wear out while they were in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 29:5). Now I suddenly find myself in need of a new car.

If you’re the praying type, prayers would be appreciated. Thanks, True Believers!

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A Conspiracy of Technology

Wondering where episode 9 of “But I Digress…” is? It is finished. It was supposed to be posted yesterday. Truth be told, I did post it on YouTube, but only for five minutes. Why? There was no sound! So, I took it down.

I haven’t had the time to see if the video file was corrupted when it was encoded or if it’s YouTube’s fault (and by extension Paramount Studios since I used some Star Trek music in it. Some music producers are stringent with YouTube about people posting their music in videos).

That coupled with the horrid luck I’ve been having with getting a working laptop (long story), and I’m starting to wonder if technology is conspiring against me. Maybe Skynet (or whoever the future robot overlords are) knows I’m onto them! (Haha)

Regardless, I’ll do what I can to remedy these situations, God willing.

UPDATE (2-18-13): The video file still has sound. It was YouTube’s fault. I’ll upload it this weekend. Sorry I’ll be skipping a posting date. Think of it as a one-time hiatus. TV shows do it all the time.

Also, my new laptop seems to be behaving now (“seems” being the key word).

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True Romance: Amy Pond and Rory Williams

Amy-Pond-Rory-Williams-amy-pond-23874861-492-700

(Don’t forget to read yesterday’s post).

I’m a little late in posting this, but it’s still Valentine’s Day in half the country right now.

If you haven’t watched any of the new Doctor Who series on BBC America—what’s wrong with you?! It’s one of the best shows on TV!

And Amy (Pond) and Rory Williams, the Doctor’s latest Companions, are two of the reasons why.

There’s a lot I could say about these two: how they met the Doctor, the adventures they went on with him, etc. (they’re my favorite Companions), but I will instead focus on their relationship.

These two met while in secondary school (which I think is the British equivalent of high school). They were best friends, but timid Rory always liked her, taking Amy’s teasing remarks in stride so he could spend time with her. Their other friend, Mels (who was their time-displaced daughter, River Song—don’t ask, it’s too complicated to explain), helped her realize Rory loved her. By young adulthood, when Amy began working as a kissogram and traveling with the Doctor, she and Rory were engaged. In fact, her wedding was the day after she met the Doctor. However, she wasn’t sure she loved him.

After a trauma-induced flirting session with the Doctor, the Doctor brought Rory onboard the TARDIS to join them. Later, the three of them were put into a dream world by a Dream Lord, who forced Amy to choose between Rory and the Doctor. Rory died in this world, but Amy realized she couldn’t live without him. Upon finding him alive, she finally told him that she loved him back.

Sadly, their story took a tragic turn when a crack in the space/time continuum erased Rory from existence and Amy’s memories. This came to a head when, in ancient Roman times, Amy, the Doctor, and River Song met a robot duplicate of Rory dressed as a Roman centurion in the service of an Alliance of the Doctor’s greatest enemies (again, a long and complicate story). At first, she didn’t recognize him, but gradually her memories returned. The Alliance activated their robots, and Rory couldn’t resist his programming and shot Amy. Thankfully, the Doctor traveled back in time to right before she died and had Rory place her in a device called the Pandorica, which was intended to be the Doctor’s prison. This kept Amy alive, but it couldn’t be opened until 2,000 years later.

Rory guarded it the whole time.

He waited 2,000 years to see his beloved’s life saved!

Yeah, Rory takes the cake for patience and longsuffering. That’s true love, people!

Anyway, the Pandorica was opened, the Doctor saved the day in a rather complicated fashion, resulting in a “rebooted universe,” and Amy and Rory got married.

But unlike most romance stories, which end at the wedding, their story continued.

After a long series of adventures with the Doctor where they had a daughter who eventually became the Doctor’s wife (again, a long and complicated story), the two started living a (mostly) normal life in London.

But their marriage turned sour. Amy kicked Rory out and filed for divorce. Both of them, along with the Doctor, were captured by the Daleks (the Doctor’s oldest enemies) and sent on a dangerous mission. During this, Amy was infected with nanites that were transforming her into a Dalek by “subtracting love.” Rory insisted that she use a protective device to slow this down. “Let’s face it—I waited for you for 2,000 years. I have more love.” Distraught, Amy confessed she was divorcing him because she had been rendered unable to have children during a previous adventure and was giving him up. This reignited their passion, and they decided to stay together.

Their story came to a bittersweet climax in a recent episode called “The Angels Take Manhattan.” Amy, Rory, and the Doctor visit present-day New York only to have Rory whisked away to the 1930s by the evil Weeping Angels, who feed off the time energy they steal from victims by sending them to the past. Realizing what had happened, Amy and the Doctor travel back in time as instructed River Song in a paperback novel based on her encounter with Rory in the past. Once there, they discover the Angels have taken over a hotel where they keep their time-displaced victims—and Rory is among them. The Doctor says there’s nothing they can do to stop it, but that if they did, thereby creating a paradox, it would “poison the well” and kill the Angels. Rory runs to the roof of the hotel with Amy. There he says he will jump off the roof, creating the paradox. Amy, unsure if it will work and unwilling to live without Rory, grabs his hand says something that puts every romantic line ever said in chick flicks to shame:

“Together or not all!”

They both jump.

They succeed.

When the temporal dust settles, Amy, Rory, River, and the Doctor find themselves at a graveyard in present day New York. But their celebration is short-lived. Rory discovers a gravestone with his name on it dated a hundred years ago.

Then a surviving Angel touches him. He vanishes.

Amy, tears streaming down her face, says goodbye to the Doctor, saying she will join Rory. The Doctor warns her that if she does this, it will create a fixed point in time that he can’t alter. He’ll be unable to visit them again.

She lets the Angel touch her. Her gravestone appears next to Rory’s.

Thankfully, the Doctor reads in River’s book that they lived long and happy lives.

What can I say? Here is a love that spanned time and space. A love that overcame insurmountable obstacles. A love that made both lovers into better people. A love characterized by self-sacrifice, patience, and longsuffering.

Honestly, I find myself running out of words to describe their love story. I’ve rarely seen one this powerful. A story like this makes me want to fall in love, to find a woman who will share an adventure like this with. It gives me hope that true love—true romance—still exists.

Happy Valentine’s Day, True Believers!

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True Romance: Kenshin Himura and Kaoru Kamiya

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Artwork by Nohuhiro Watsuki (so far as I know--it could be far art)
Artwork by Nohuhiro Watsuki (so far as I know–it could be far art)

(Be sure to check out yesterday’s post).

Rurouni Kenshin is a popular manga (Japanese comic book) written and drawn by Nobuhiro Watskui in the mid 1990s. It spawned two equally popular anime TV series, a theatrical anime film, two animated OVA films, and most recently a live-action film produced by Warner Bros. (which has yet to receive a wide release in America, unfortunately).

(Note: This blog will focus on the original manga. The adaptations are different. For one thing, the manga has a happier ending).

(SPOILER WARNING!)

Set in 19th century Japan 10 years after the Meiji Revolution, the titular character, Kenshin Himura, is a young swordsman with cross-shaped scar on his face who has been wandering Japan (rurouni is the Japanese word for “wanderer”) since the war’s end, righting any wrongs he finds as atonement for the atrocities he committed. He has sworn never to kill again and carries a sakabatou (reverse-blade sword) that allows him to fight without killing anyone. He goes to Tokyo and meets Kaoru Kamiya, a young woman running her deceased father’s kendo dojo, and decides to stop wandering. As time passes, he meets several other “rough” characters he helps reform and battles several powerful villains.

A subtitle for the series is Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story, which describes it very well. The series’ theme is redemption, but its heart is the romance between Kenshin and Kaoru. In true Japanese fashion, it is an understated and subtle romance—at first. Kaoru begins to fall for Kenshin after a few adventures, but Kenshin never seems to reciprocate. He treats her with respect as a friend, always calling her “Kaoru-dono” (a formal Japanese honorific title usually translated as “Ms. Kaoru”). Several times Kaoru has to pull Kenshin from the brink when he slips into the violent ways of Battousai, his dark and violent self from the war. She gives him a home when he was wanderer.

Until one night when, surrounded by fireflies, Kenshin comes to her—and only her—and says he must leave to go fight a deadly enemy in Kyoto. She is the only one he says goodbye to. There’s no farewell kiss, no sappy sweet nothings. Kenshin simply thanks her for everything she’s done for him and hugs her. It’s a powerful scene, one that I’m man enough to admit nearly made me cry when I watched it on the anime. (You can watch it here).

Kaoru at first wallows in her sorrow, but her friends chastise her and say that if she cares about him so much, she should go after him. She does. She catches up to Kenshin before he battles his nemesis. Her love helps strengthen Kenshin in the ensuing battle. But she learns afterward that Kenshin’s body has been so badly battered over the years that another severe injury may kill him.

In the manga’s final storyline (which the anime excludes), Kaoru is captured by Enishi, a psychotic young man, with a grudge against Kenshin. She learns from him that during the war, Kenshin married a woman named Tomoe, who died tragically at his hands. That’s why he was closed off, why he refused to reciprocate Kaoru’s love: he didn’t want to lose someone like that again. Enishi says he is Tomoe’s brother and will avenge his sister’s death.

Kenshin is pushed to his physical, mental, and emotional limits. Enishi fakes Kaoru’s death. When Kenshin finds her purported corpse, he yells her name without adding “-dono” for the first time. Kenshin is overcome with despair, during which he sees Tomoe in his dreams. She is smiling because she says Kenshin has learned to smile. She tells him to save her brother, who is still stuck in the past, and rescue Kaoru, who wants and needs his smile most. Kenshin awakes and goes to confront not only Enishi but the demons from his past. He defeats the young man and spares his life.

Finally, Kenshin and Kaoru get married and have a son named Kenji.

This is a romance full of longsuffering, patience, acceptance, and forgiveness. Kaoru loves Kenshin despite his violent and dark past. Kenshin learns to open up and love again. Kaoru gives Kenshin the wanderer a home. They complement each other perfectly. Kenshin’s calm demeanor is great counterbalance to Kaoru’s feistiness and Kaoru’s goodness pulls Kenshin from his inner darkness.

This also shows that a romance can be subtle. Often love stories are sappy and overdone, but this one is so understated that the reader has to connect the dots. I can’t recall either of them ever saying “I love you” to each other, yet the reader knows they do. It truly is an example of “less is more.”

Their romance blossomed slowly, often in dark times. Both Kenshin and Kaoru made sacrifices for what they thought was the good of the other. It was never easy for them until the end.

I neglected to mention that both the manga and original anime (I haven’t seen the new one yet) are also quite funny. In fact, I’d even go so far as to classify them as romantic comedies at points.

I could go on for hours about their story. This was one of the first romances I truly loved. As fantastical as the series was, their love felt real and authentic. Many romances in mangas/animes tend to go (for lack of a better term) unconsummated: the couple never gets together. It was refreshing to see a happy ending for a change.

NEXT TIME ON “TRUE ROMANCE”: A trip across “the Pond” for a love that spans time and space!

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True Romance: ‘The Lake House’

'The Lake House' poster

(Continued from yesterday’s post).

Mark it on your calendars, True Believers, because I’m about to admit publicly that I like a chick flick.

(gasp!)

I originally thought about using The Princess Bride (one of my favorite films) as an example of a “chick flick” I like, but then I realized it was equal parts “chick flick” and “guy movie.” So, I would classify it a romantic fantasy/adventure/comedy. (The movie defies classification, but I digress).

With that said, I opted for The Lake House, a 2006 romance film starring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. The movie was disliked by critics, and unfairly so. They criticized some internal inconsistencies with its plot, but let’s be honest: it’s hard to write a time-travel story that is completely airtight.

Yes, it involves time-travel. The fantastical element is one of the things that intrigued me about it. It tells the story of an architect and a doctor who live in the same house but two years apart, and how they fall in love by writing letters to each other through a time-warping mailbox.

(WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD!)

The first thing that strikes me about this story is how the couple never meets until late in the movie. Until then, their only interaction is through correspondence (lending credence to long-distance relationships). So, their relationship is at first free of physical lust (which is often confused for love in many “romantic” stories). They connect on a deep, personal level through their letters. They even find clever ways to interact, such as Alex (the architect) taking Kate (the doctor) on a time-delayed tour of Chicago with one of his letters (he even spray-paints an endearing message on a wall for her). They finally meet when Alex goes to a party Kate attended two years before—when she was with another man. He meets her, deeply in love with her, but she has no idea who he is, and he can’t tell her who he is.

They continue to write each other and decide to meet at restaurant on Valentine’s Day. Kate will only have to wait one day, but Alex will have to wait two years. Kate arrives, but Alex never shows. Heartbroken, she writes a letter to Alex saying not to write her anymore and recounts the story of how, one year prior, she witnessed a car accident and the driver, a young man, died in her arms. The two leave the lake house and go their separate ways.

One year later (2006 for Alex and 2008 for Kate), Alex returns to the house because something triggers his memory. Kate, meanwhile, is talking with another architect and learns that Alex had died two years earlier—that he was the man whose death she witnessed! That’s why he didn’t show up at the restaurant. She rushes back to the lake house and frantically writes him a letter saying she loves him and tells him to wait two years and meet her at the lake house instead. She stuffs it in the mailbox. Did he get it? The flag drops—he’d received it.

A vehicle pulls up. A man walks toward her. Alex! “You waited,” Kate says. Then, after four years, they finally kiss.

Despite what the critics say, this is a magnificent love story. The love is deep. How many people have the patience and commitment to wait four years to meet their true love after they “found” them? Four years! Think about that: they were so dedicated to each other, so patient, that they endured the pain of waiting to see each other for four full years! (Although, while noble, it pales by comparison to another couple I’ll be writing about later this week). Alex had to suffer seeing the woman he loved but she didn’t love him, at least not yet. He could’ve been selfish and tried to take her then, but it would’ve ruined everything. Kate had to watch Alex die and later be “stood up,” only to learn later what happened. These two wouldn’t let their circumstances keep them apart. As strange as everything was, they overcame every obstacle thrown at them. It wasn’t easy. True love never is. It must be tested. That’s how its authenticity can be proven.

So, there you have it: my favorite “chick flick.” It’d make a great date movie this Valentine’s Day. Go rent it now! Ah, heck, buy it!

NEXT TIME ON “TRUE ROMANCE”:  A manga romance! (A “mangamance”?)

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True Romance: An Introduction

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Broken_heart_by_KaattieMaattieThe dreaded day approaches.

Yes, I’m speaking of Valentine’s Day. I’ve never liked this holiday, and for the obvious reason: I’ve never had a girlfriend during it (although, I’ve had several of them).

I could go into a long treatise about what the holiday really means, but that isn’t my purpose today. I’ve decided to use this coming week to talk about what I think makes up true romance, both in stories and in real life.. It’s not that I hate them (I’ve often been described as a “romantic”), I just can’t stand how poorly done many of them are. I won’t necessarily be writing about how to write these stories since, oddly enough, most of those techniques are present in good and bad romances (and I might possibly save it for an episode of my vlog).

My biggest gripe with romantic stories, especially modern ones, is they’re shallow or fake. Look at a typical romantic comedy movie. Two young, attractive people meet, think each other is hot, and then haphazardly try to get together, sleeping with each a few times along the way. The audience assumes these characters will live happily ever after.

It’s a lie. Or rather, a fantasy.

This rarely, if ever, works out in real life. Why? Because the love is only skin deep. The couples in these stories are riding on the emotional high of their “chemistry,” the gooey feelings they have for each other. Studies have shown these don’t last long. I guarantee you that even Rose and Jack from Titanic (the most overrated film of all time), had they both survived the sinking ship, probably wouldn’t have stayed together because they were running on temporary romantic feelings.

A related gripe I have is how unrealistically fast these relationships happen. Admittedly, this is a lesser problem, because it does happen quickly for some people in real life, and stories (especially movies) often necessitate the romances start quickly, so it’s easy to forgive. More often than not, though, it takes time to cultivate love. Then the love must stand the test of time. As I said, romantic feelings don’t last. The love must have deeper roots.

As a Christian, I’m familiar with koine Greek, one of the original languages the Bible was written in. This ancient language had at least three words for “love”: eros (sexual/physical love; from which we get the word “erotic”), phileo (friendship; the source of the name Philadelphia, which means “city of brotherly love”), and agape (unconditional love). All of these loves are legitimate and are necessary to make a lasting romance, but agape is what binds them together. This is a love not based on feelings. It is an act of the will. It is commitment. It requires a person to put the needs of whoever he loves above his own, even if he gets nothing out of it. It says, “No matter what happens, no matter what you do, even if you don’t deserve it, I will love you.”

This is the sort of love that requires suffering. That’s why many people give up on it: they don’t like to suffer. But if you love someone, you will stick by them through thick and thin. You’ll do whatever you have to for them. That’s why fairy tales resound with us. Men want to be the knight who slays the dragon and women want to be the maiden he rescues. Even The Princess Bride, as “cheesy” as it is, understands this! (And this is one reason why I think the romances I write tend to be born out of suffering).

People may say that sounds romantic, but I wonder if they would say that if they had to practice it. Many don’t. That’s why there’s a 50% divorce rate.

(I’ll stop talking like Dr. Phil now).

My point is this: romances should have more substance. They should be founded in something far deeper and much stronger and feelings. When I read or watch a romance, I want that couple to stay together forever. I want that fairy tale ending. I have to believe love can last forever. That’s why it grinds me to see such shallow romances passed off as the real thing. Maybe I’m jaded. Or maybe I understand this better than most.

Regardless, I promise you that if you ever hear me say I like a romantic story, you can bet its good.

I’ll be sharing a few of those stories the next few days. Starting with…a chick flick?!

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Digression 2: Gun Control and ‘Pandora’s Box’

My next episode isn’t quite finished, but I did have an idea for a spur-of-the-moment “Digression” video, so I hope this tides you over for now. However, it’s on a very serious topical issue: gun control. I don’t usually get political, but this was a point where my politics and creativity combined. I read an excerpt from my novel, “Pandora’s Box,” that illustrates my opinion on the matter.

My next vlog should be posted in a day or two.

(Sorry about the voices in the background. They’re people in the next room. I hope it’s not distracting).

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Episode 5 of “But I Digress…” Corrupted, but Will be Re-posted

It has come to my attention that episode 5 of my vlog, “But I Digress…” starts skipping around the seven-minute mark and quits working (ironically when I tell people to stop watching and go read the Lord of the Rings books). The file seems to have been corrupted while being encoded to YouTube because I can watch the video on Windows Media Player without any problems (unlike the issues I had with episode 4). I will remove and re-post the video within the next week, although probably not until after Christmas. Sorry, True Believers. Please be patient Take this time to watch my other videos you haven’t seen or read my short stories and poems you haven’t read.

Short Stories, Blog

A Writerly Christmas Exchange

You’ve heard me name drop my friend and fellow writer Nick Hayden several times. (If you haven’t checked out his his website or stories do it right now!) Recently, I suggested an interesting project to him: I said we should “exchange” worlds each other had created and write a short story set in it. In other words, I write a story in one of his universes and he writes a story in one of mine.

I suggested this because I’ve been wanting to write a Christmas story with it being the holiday season and all. I wanted to write one that was good and not just Hallmark movie sappy. I conceived an idea and decided to set it in a fictional small town Nick had created. Hopefully, it’ll be done by Christmas. It’ll be posted both here and on Nick site.

What does Nick plan to write in one of my universes? I’ve no clue. Stay tuned.