Birth, Books, NY Comic Con, Coffee, CYBERWAR SERIES Update is an apt description of my current life in less than 60 characters. That said: ‘Hel-LO!’ as Uncle Leo would enthusiastically say on Seinfeld. I have not enjoyed going MIA so often these past few months (and years), well for the most part I have not; sometimes solitude is truly bliss, and that is much harder to come across as this world grows more connected by the second. Please forgive my delays, but I have missed you, Eager Readers. And without further ado, the news! I had a baby girl, or rather my wife did with my help, not too long ago, and everyone is happy and healthy! I could not be happier. And that is not the sleep deprivation talking. I am a DAD! It is an indescribable feeling, all love, and she already makes me much more optimistic about the future of the earth she is inheriting. Her smile can move mountains. And since everyone always asks with concern, Indy, our Dalmatian, loves our baby girl. She guards her, attempts to play with her, and constantly alerts us to any unhappiness she seems to be having. I am still working, writing, editing, reading, scrawling, and who knows what else, because I damn well cannot remember. Largely because of coffee. Strong coffee. Ground Colombian bean and a french press and repeat. Do not thank me, thank the coffee, that any art is getting done this year. So the sequel to my novel, CYBERWAR, has been completed, but because of its massive size, 400-500 pages, it will need more time to be edited to as close to perfection as is possible. Thankfully, my publisher and I are looking to work with one of the most talented editors I know, and I am beyond thrilled. The only downside to making this a far better work is that it will not be coming out just yet and certainly not before 2020. But it will be worth the wait; it is a bold step forward for me and it makes CYBERWAR a prequel to a much larger storyline in the Cyberwar Series (meaning the new book will be acting as Book 1), and I have some very BIG plans. For the delay I apologize, but I hope this will make it up to you: SPY WOMAN SPY, my years in the making graphic novel, which had a brief appearance of its cover at New York Comic Con last year will be making noise at NY Comic Con 2019, as Issue #1 arrives. I can finally speak a little more about this. Rune Works small press is publishing SPY WOMAN SPY, initially, and for all of you CYBERWAR fans out there, this is a prequel to the novel starring Xera Finn and Fae Yu, and it will be first released at NYCC on October 3, 2019. Here is the premise so far: When a foreign agent named Xera Finn learns of her government’s involvement in human trafficking on Long Island, she goes rogue. Xera and her lover, a tech bootlegger named Fae Yu, race to Coney Island to free a truckful of young women. But their hacking and espionage skills are soon put to the test when Xera’s former handler tasks both the local authorities and an outlaw motorcycle gang to ruthlessly retrieve them before they can reach sanctuary. For those of you who have read CYBERWAR, this graphic novel series will be all about the backstory of the two badass rogue agents that were main characters of the novel. There will be lots of insight into the degradation of the Cyber US and the Wangluo society before and after hackers took over the governments for good. I will say no more, as the fun will be in the reveal on the page. But I will say that I love the further exploration of the world, this near future of ours, and this future continues to surprise me. I am thrilled to once again be at the Rune Works Productions Ltd. Booth in the Small Press section on the NY Comic Con main show floor to sign books and comics and to talk shop. The comic book will be a single-issue format to start off, and there are a few of these issues written already so more are coming after #1, with the plan to release a compilation trade paperback down the road. Cover artist Elizabeth Yoo will also be on hand to sign the comic book. Last, but certainly not least, my wife and I are hoping Rune Works Productions will have time to have on-hand a version of our new children’s book at New York Comic Con. We have an incredibly talented artist in Cheryl Huneke, and we are really looking forward to sharing this excellent and exciting book involving space and … I cannot say anymore just yet … but it is a TON of fun. And I hate rhyming poetry and still wrote ‘TON of fun’ – I must be tired. Speaking of poetry, if you have not kept up with my recent publications, I am thrilled to have been selected to have poems published in these 2019 anthologies: POETS TO COME: WHITMAN'S 200TH BIRTHDAY ANTHOLOGY, the 2019 Suffolk County Poetry Review, the BARDS ANNUAL 2019 anthology, and the National Beat Poetry Festival anthology We Are BEAT. Poetry is the most freeing form of art I know. No matter how frustrated I may be drawing, editing, writing, strumming a new tune on the guitar, I can always turn to poetry and release myself from all sense of structure and allow pure instinct and energy and strong of consciousness to take me to another place of bliss. If you did not know, I am a big fan of the beats. Feel free to check out the Bard’s Day or the National Beat Poetry Festival, as both are coming up next week, both will feature readings and fantastic books of poetry. I hope you are all well and your summer reading never falters. ~RJH
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The words are gathering and a number, 30,000, comes nearer. These are the finest words I have ever put together under one fictional heading, and it is my sincere hope that they are the most innovative too. As a story of speculative fiction, this is going to be one that has not been done before. That is my goal. The reader will not have seen anything like this. So far, nearly 30,000 words so far, I am living up to this standard. It is exciting, it is terrifying, and it is incredibly difficult. Is the bar too high? My feeling is that the bar is never too high, but I do have to decide when to stop tinkering, when to stop scrutinizing everywhere in the feeble reach for revision perfection. And sometimes if the limbo bar is held just too low for success, you can arch your back and strategically use your stomach to nudge the damn bar up just high enough to get by without disrupting the entire conga line. How’s that for a metaphor? Be excited. This piece has a large part of my soul embedded within. An no one will see it coming. ~RJH Though the blockbuster Iron Man 3 has higher expectations than possibly any other Marvel super hero flick, Shane Black’s comic book adaptation thrills and brings new depth to the characters and world. Because of the tremendous success of the brilliant previous Iron Man films that were directed by Jon Favreau, The Amazing Spider-man reboot, and Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, many are mistakenly trying to compare this newest Iron Man installment to the past projects and not look at it in its own light. Though Marvel and former Iron Man director Favreau had a dispute that ended his controlling the third movie, Shane Black who co-wrote the Iron Man 3 script stepped in to add more action and more darkness to the story arc. To read the rest of this Impulsive Review please check it out on Rune Works HERE Rune Works is ecstatic to announce that R.J. Huneke's newest thriller novel will also become a graphic novel written by the author! "I feel this work has a lot of intrigue for potential readers, and with its sharp, visual qualities, making a dystopian graphic novel makes a lot of sense," says Huneke. Read more of this conversation @ Rune Works. I've done it! The story has been written, and the first draft of my newest dystopian thriller novel is complete! It has been quite a ride, and my arduous research and many months of writing have yielded an incredible tale that shakes the notions of societal norms and controls. Looking back on the process... Read the rest on the RUNE WORKS page. Thanks for all of the support! ^R.J. Leslie Ditto, the modern surreal artist, had an entrancing display of her skilled artwork on hand at the New York Comic Con in October, including three limited giclee prints for the occasion.
Leslie's work catches the eye and further envelops the mind invoking sharp feelings and thought. There is certainly a modern - never before seen - tone to Leslie's work, as there is also a certain throwback to classic art, inside and outside of the surrealist genre. Read more about her in the Impulsive Review Here. Filling the entire Javits Center, the 2010 New York Comic Con became a city within a city last weekend. Walking the streets of New York City, anyone could glance over and see various visions of Spiderman, Anime, Watchmen and vast custom made weapons! The NYCC (NewYorkComicCon.com) costumed fun officially exploded on Saturday when random walks on the show floor brought movie-prop quality Predators to battle with Spiderman, or the Riddler joining with Harley Quinn, the Joker and the Scarecrow to pose with the Batman!
This year, the main floor contained myriad pieces of art, television, movies, video games, books, card games, comics and anime. The new 007 James Bond game, "James Bond: Blood Stone" (Bloodstonegame.com) was playable and I was able to take part in a driving board, while Ben Ward - Studio Communications Manager of Blizzard - explained how the storyline, featuring Daniel Craig as Bond, was meant to be an in-between movie-story to help bridge "Quantum of Solace" with the next film. The hand to hand combat is amazing and unlike any game before! The driving scene that I played was too real, as the snow poured down on the Russian industrial city highway I dodged attacking vehicles, traffic and near-constant explosions! It was like being in a 007 film!!! Leslie Ditto, the modern surreal artist, had an entrancing display of her skilled artwork on hand at the NYCC, including three limited giclee prints: Alice in Wonderland, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and a third Gaga woman with a city titled Princess of Pop. See the amazing breadth of Leslie's work at her site here (LeslieDitto.com). Her work catches the eye and further envelops the mind invoking sharp feelings and thought. The swag was excellent this year, as "LOST," the "Wheel of Time" and 1st Print Kenyon (the authors were there signing) hardcover books were given away, along with "Wheel of Time" bumper stickers/maps, dozens of Bite Me type buttons and of course Comics! Tons of books, samplers and full novels like Kenyon's newest (which was not even out yet) were being given away to loyal fans and it was to the point that you had to choose what to take based on how much you could carry. The gaming industry really stole much of the show, as Nintendo featured a gorgeous booth and two player games, the new "Donkey Kong Country" and the new "Kirby" game, both of which were incredibly fun and visually supreme for the Wii. Capcom had the much anticipated "Marvel Vs. Capcom 3" (MvC3.com) and it did not disappoint! The game had half of the characters available to play and the graphics and intricate moves resembled MvC 2 Squared! "Red Dead Redemption Undead" looked frighteningly fun, as did "Dead Rising 2." The Blu-ray release of the movie "Alien: Anthology" was represented with a full sized Nostromo ship stasis setup for four members to go and lie down in. Inside the hibernation chamber were screens featuring a frightening collection of images from the movie to scare the bejesus out of those cramped in the small space with alien face-huggers and worse. Those who made it inside got a free t-shirt too! Though the panels were lacking, Seth Green was on hand to deliver a brilliant "Robot Chicken" event. He showed a solid 10+ minutes of upcoming footage from the new season and the "Star Wars Episode III Special." Funny. Very funny, it was. The NYCC was a blast this year! There was so much going on, between the cosplay-inspired fans, the art, the games, the swag, the stars, toys, contests and comics that it was impossible to take it all in. It was a pure adventure and no one could go through the NYCC with the same tales! Next October is already looking like Christmas! |
AuthorI have turned the tide and started on my journey. Words and Worlds hang in the balance and I am writing it all down before the RJ Tower! Read about my newest novel on CyberwarSeries.com Archives
March 2023
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