Switching to a Chromebook
Feb 24th
For many of you, this post won’t mean too much. For others, the headline alone will have you turning your head. Before I get into the ‘Holy Crap, Batman!” of the post, let’s step back and take a look at what has led me up to this drastic change.
Eat your heart out!
Feb 13th
Welcome to The Eat Your Heart Out event! It’s Valentines day and for those that don’t like to celebrate in the traditional, Halmarkian manner, we have an event sure to fill your blackened heart with the love of zombies, demons, vampires, and much more.
The Walking Dead stumbles and bumbles
Feb 12th
As a writer of zombie fiction, it gives me so much pleasure to know that the single most popular show on television centers around my favorite genre. When the show first started, it was an exercise in keeping a lid on my excitement. Now, it’s become an exercise in not wanting to punch the screen. How could I possibly say such things about a television show so near and dear to my heart? Let me explain…
Why we do what we do
Jan 8th
Last night I had a conversation with my youngest daughter (she’s 19) about being an artist. She follows very closely in my footsteps and, at her age, hasn’t quite yet wrapped her mind and heart around what it all means and why we crazy artists do what we do. The conversation was a good one to have for both parties. For her, it was a time to finally have someone tell her the truth about the soul of the artist. For me, it was a time to remind myself why I do what I do.
2013: The year of the zombie
Jan 1st
As you might expect, a headline like that is an appealing teaser to one who makes a living at writing zombie fiction. But that title isn’t all what it’s cracked up to be. Yes, zombies are hot (thanks to Norman Reedus – I mean, The Walking Dead); and for that I am very thankful. But not every zombie was created in the image of George A. Romero. In fact, some where fashioned from a bubbling pit of brainless, fetid, offal. Those are the zombies I’m talking about now. Let’s nom on this for a bit. More >
The twelve days of writing
Dec 18th
I thought it would be a fun little exercise to pen the Twelve Days of Christmas through the eyes of…you guessed it, a writer! So hold onto your fuzzy red hats, let’s Christmas up this bitch!
Claire C Riley Gets Jack’d
Dec 16th
Ladies and gentlefunk, get ready for something entirely special and delicious. It is my absolute pleasure to welcome to the Dark Hayride, fellow zpoc author, Claire C Riley. Let’s spare the intros and get to the juicy bits.
Accept yourself
Dec 4th
The Beastie Boys said in the song ‘Pass the Mic’, “Be true to yourself and you will never fall.” Never were wiser words said by three Jewish rappers from New York City. For me, that kind of mantra has been crucial in the discovery and acceptance of me. I am Jack Wallen and I not only accept myself, I love myself.
To be thankful, fer sure!
Nov 27th
As this Thanksgiving holiday is upon us, I wanted to share my thanks to those that have come on board the dark hayride along with me. I originally posted these on my Facebook page, and thought it would be good to collect them all in one easy to digest, tryptophan-laced meal. NOM!
Goodbye Blockbuster
Nov 20th
My wife and I were lamenting the closing of the last three hundred Blockbuster brick-and-mortar stores today. Much of the reminiscing was spent romanticizing how much we missed actually going to the store and perusing the selections — sometimes winding up not finding anything we hadn’t seen or anxiously anticipating a new release. The discussion hit me sideways as I realized how this marks the end of yet another means of interacting with society. Slowly but surely, we are becoming less and less dependent upon actually having to leave our homes. The end of Blockbuster is not so much the end of an era, but another cold shoulder to social interaction, and another victory for network service providers.
Women and the apocalypse
Nov 13th
As most of you know, I have a vested interest in this subject. Why? First and foremost, I placed the survival of mankind on the shoulders of one Bethany Nitshimi. I did this knowing I might lose the attention of some fans of the genre — a fact I am perfectly fine with. Why? For so long, women in post-apocalyptic literature have been relegated to eye candy, relationship fodder, damsels in distress, or (on occasion) a ripped-dress wearing clone with unrealistic fighting abilities (played to the nines by Milla Jovavitch). Some may call “bias” on this; but, to me, the continued portrayal of women as a weakness in the apocalypse, is an insufferable insult.
A matter of appearance
Nov 8th
The other night my wife and I were walking around our local Target store enjoying a capitalist repast. I noticed, ahead of us, an older lady clad in a leopard-print dress that hit her about mid thigh. She was sporting some seriously high heels and tastefully done make up. She was walking around with what could have been her spouse (who was happily doting over her). It was a wonderful and lovely sight to behold. Until…I started seeing the looks she was getting.
