An Open Letter to Students of Midwest Universities

3 02 2010

Author’s Note: I’ve noticed a few things around my campus that are really very strange.  I wasn’t quite sure what to make of them until I realized that the students involved in the very strange occurrences probably weren’t from around here – or, in fact, from anywhere north of… say… Tennessee.  So for all the Californians, Floridians, and southerners who attend midwestern universities: this letter is for you.

Dear Students,

I have seen you walking about campus, and I’m not sure if you fully understand where you are.  You are not in Florida.  Or California.  Or Arizona, heaven forbid.  You are in Ohio.  O-H-I-O.

This is a fact that you cannot avoid.  It is a fact from which you cannot hide.  Ohio is a mystical land that is a force of nature of its very own accord.  It stops for no one and nothing.  Therefore, allow me – a lifelong citizen of this lovely state and this particular weather-beaten area – to give you a few tips on remaining safe and healthy in this climate.

  • Bundle up. I understand that, where you are from, shorts may be worn all year long.  In Ohio – particularly in this area of Ohio – that is not so.  You must, in fact, cover up your legs, men.  Besides, no one here wants to see all that hairyness.
  • Drive slowly and carefully when there is snow on the ground. Yes, I understand that it’s pretty and fun to throw up in the air as you drive through it.  No, I do not care to be hospitalized in a snow-related collision.
  • While we’re at it, for Pete’s sake, do NOT text while you’re driving. This is extremely dangerous to do on any college campus, where pedestrians can come out of nowhere to suddenly leap before your vehicle.  Not only that, but in the city where my university is located, it’s illegal.  So please don’t do it.
  • Again, put some @#%# clothes on. You may think that you look cute, wearing your supershort skirt or short-shorts with some thin leggings underneath and some Uggs, but to us, you just look stupid.
  • Make sure that you eat right. And I’m not talking just eating an apple in the morning, a salad at lunch, and two slices of greasy pizza for dinner.  Get full, balanced and nutritious meals while you’re living in this area.  That means gettig enough protein in your diet to keep your body working the right way in a Toledo winter.  Eat some chili or have some hot chicken in the dining hall for dinner and eggs in the morning; if you’re vegetarian or vegan, make sure you get enough soy or legumes in your diet.  The worst thing you could do in an Ohio winter is let your body wither away.  Next thing you know, you’ll have swine flu or something.
  • Don’t go tanning in January. It’s not spring break yet.  And you look orange.
  • Stop whining about this being a “boring” city. Seriously.  You came to Toledo looking for fun?  While our university has three of the best programs in the state – in Engineering, Pharmacy, and Business – our city happens to be the #9 poorest city in the US.  We’re more or less Detroit’s feeder city.  What Detroit goes through, we go through.  And our biggest employers?  Two different car companies.
  • On that note, start looking at what’s good, not what “sucks”. Toledo has a high-ranking art museum and zoo.  Cleveland is home to the Rock’N'Roll Hall of Fame.  Sandusky has Kalahari and, more importantly, Cedar Point.  No matter where you go in northern Ohio, there’s tons to do.  Stop looking for a club – you can find those anywhere in the country – and start looking for unique things, like coffee houses with free live music and free or cheap concerts.

If you follow these guidelines, living in northern Ohio will become much more pleasant for you.  And a lot warmer.

Sincerely,

The Author





Defeating Writer’s Block

23 01 2010

Every writer, in every shape and size, gets writer’s block.  It’s really not a matter of how good the writer is – how much technical skill the writer has – how smart or clever the writer happens to be – or even how well-educated the writer is.  Every writer gets writer’s block – because, hey, we’re all human here.

(If, by any chance, you aren’t a human and are in fact a zombie, I don’t think this really applies to you anyway.)

Now, I’ve had a massive case of writer’s block recently, and because of my oh-so-busy schedule – in which I attend classes, do homework, and go to work at a part-time job – I haven’t really had the chance to try and break the block.

At least, not until now.

There are several things to do to help you get over your writer’s block, either as a writer of nonfiction (articles or nonfiction blogs) or a writer of fiction (novels, short stories, novellas) or even as a writer of poetry (if you need an explanation for this one, maybe you’re not cut out for this writing business.)

Margaret Atwood mentioned a few tips on writer’s block in her blog.  She has some good suggestions.  A lot of her suggestions involve some creative mixing around, and some just involve doing other things until your muse comes back.  (I think that’s just so you don’t waste your time staring at blank paper, though.)

Anyway, I’m no Margaret Atwood, but here are a few things that may help writers of a less professional nature, students and hobbyists alike, may also find helpful.

  • Try going out of your comfort box. If you’re having trouble with your novel, spit out some poetry; if songs are your thing, try writing a journal-type article on something totally unrelated.  Writing is about creativity, so get creative.  If you open your mind to something new, you may find yourself opening up the floodgates.
  • Travel somewhere, even if it’s just the short ride from Toledo to Ann Arbor or a train from Rahway to the city.  While you’re traveling, try writing in a journal or taking photos.  It’ll help you de-stress and make you think.
  • If all else fails, go for a run. The endorphins are good for your brain.  At the very least, you’ll get your blood pumping, and eventually you’ll have something to write about – how tired you are, how you twisted your ankle when you missed a step, or even about that cute girl you met in the park.
  • Read a book. Okay, so this may not help you at all – you don’t want to rip somebody off, after all.  But books are pretty great, and reading one will help you remember why you started writing in the first place.
  • Visit your local coffee shop or bookstore. And I don’t mean Starbucks and Borders, either.  I mean the indie one downtown.  The one that’s family-run.  To find an indie bookstore in your neighborhood, check out NewPages.com.  Indie bookstores are always a great environment – and a good cup of coffee might stir up your brain.

If you’ve tried all this and you still can’t bring yourself to write, it may be time to work on another manuscript.  Maybe the one you’re working on now just isn’t meant to be.

For more writing tips, keep checking back!





Reasons to Celebrate!

16 01 2010

It’s just past the halfway mark of January 2010, and Glass Tower Press (and me, too!) have lots of reasons to celebrate the new year – even this far into the month.

  • The TECH Project, the first title from Glass Tower Press, will make its debut on the 28th.   The book is a young adult novel about the lives of twelve young superheroes as they work to defend their city from a group of terrorists.
  • Its sequel, The Final Experiment, is still in the works, but a background book based on one of the characters will be released by Glass Tower Press later this year, in Fall 2010.  Dance, Dance is the story of Ian Drake, a member of The TECH Project’s Version One, during his freshman-year transition into high school.
  • Today marks the launch of TheTECHProject.Net, the official domain-name site of The TECH Project series.  The site includes a blog, information on your favorite characters, and much more.  Keep checking back for information on giveaways and contests!
  • Glass Tower Press is now accepting submissions for 2010!  If you have a novel appropriate for anyone between ages 13 and 25 – particularly an action-adventure story – please submit a query to this address:

Glass Tower Press
Attn: Submissions
506 Ogden Ave
Toledo, OH 43609

There’s so much exciting stuff going on in 2010!  What are you excited about for this year?





Happy New Year!

1 01 2010

Hello friends and fans!

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! 2010 is going to be full of new experiences and new surprises, so I hope you’re prepared!

All right, now down to business. January 1st means that pre-orders for The TECH Project are now open! You can get a pre-order form in many places, but the easiest place to get one is by downloading it. You can download it here.

If you live in the Toledo area, don’t worry about the shipping and handling fee – most in-town orders will be hand-delivered, so all you need to do is list your address and the book will magically find its way to you on January 28th!

More fun can be found on the Zoe Lee and Gordy Johnson pages, as well. Keep checking out those pages for some fun character insights – and keep watching for more!





Small Beginnings

28 11 2009

Author’s Note: In honor of the two-month countdown to the release of The TECH Project, here’s a note on how it all began, back in the Fall of 2005…

Team Erie Canal made its first appearance in March of 2006, at the Erie Canal locks in Grand Rapids, Ohio.  But just because they weren’t seen until March of 2006 doesn’t mean that they didn’t exist beforehand…

In early 2004, a bioengineer at the Department presented a new formula to the Director that the Department had been trying to discover for years: a formula that would create the perfect soldier.

According to the bioengineer – one Dr. Andrew Nobill – the formula would turn the person to whom it was exposed into a superhuman, one stronger and faster than the average human with above-average intelligence.  The Director was, at first, a little pessimistic regarding the new formula, as Nobill had been beaten out by another scientist, and the project was put on hold.

Fast-forward to early 2005.  The formula that the other scientist had produced proved to be faulty, granting its recipients – boys in the early stages of puberty – strange abilities, but without the added strength and speed, with only a slight increase in their average IQ – because though one had gone from a 125 to a 156 in IQ and another had gone from 132 to 163, the third had gained nothing.

Disappointed in what they had thought to be a huge breakthrough in biological sciences, the Department turned instead to Andrew Nobill’s creation.

A new high school was set up to create a pool from which to choose subjects, with the pretense that all students would be guaranteed a job within the Department after graduation.  The top students in the city were chosen from several applicants to attend the school: the most intelligent, the most focused, the most athletic.

Then the selection of the six-man team began.

To the great irony of its creator, though, the six “men” who were best-suited to make up the team comprised of two boys and four girls.

The first, most obvious choice was Zoe Lee, a very athletic girl who had been a part of a softball league for years.  Her physical fitness as well as her obvious teamwork and leadership skills (she had been the captain) made her the perfect choice for the team.

The second-most-obvious choice was Juliet Martin, a smaller and quieter girl than the boisterous Zoe who spent a few years coaching soccer for young children.  She had quite a bit of experience working with others, as she had spent so much time working with kids, and she was also very bright.

The third choice was a very smart, very talented ballet dancer named Ian Drake.  Though in his interview he’d been a little awkward, Ian proved to be very knowledgeable and very focused, fairly decisive for a fourteen-year-old.  His good physical health and brilliance were the deciding factors in keeping him as part of the team.

After the first three were chosen, there were several contenders for the following three positions.  In the mix were a few boys, including one Griffin O’Malley, who was passed over because of his general apathy for the world, and only two girls.

Out of the five male choices, only one was chosen to become part of the team.  Gordy Johnson was a junior high hockey and football player, bulky with muscles even at fourteen.  His grades were not exemplary, but his testing scores revealed a complex mind with strong convictions, which led to his eventual inclusion on the team.

The two girls on the list were also included in the team, but on a sort of probation, as Nobill is not quite sure if the two girls will be a good fit for the team.

Maria Aguinaldo was accepted to the school for her intelligence as well as the fact that she was bilingual, and she was a candidate for the team because of her history as a ballroom dancer and her strong physical background.  But her temper – as well as her history of working poorly with others – led Nobill to place her on probation until she proved she could do well on a team.

Chloe Sibylle, on the other hand, was a hip-hop dancer at the city’s most prestigious studio, both used to and good at working well with others.  Her physical fitness was just where it needed to be for her body to accept the formula, but she showed no particular scholarly inclination, preferring to work at her dancing rather than schoolwork, which worried Nobill enough to put her on the probation list as well.

The team fully assembled, it was put upon Dr. Nobill to administer the formula – and see what the six teens would become.

To find out more about how the Team Erie Canal Heroes came into being, check back in – a new story will be released at a later date!