I am a big believer that across America, the majority of us hold the same ideals. I believe that we envision America as a country where everyone, regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or social standing, deserves the best opportunity to pursue a fulfilling and rewarding life. With every fiber of my being, I believe that there are more of us who welcome those who are different and want nothing more than to learn and grow from an exchange of ideas.
Because this is the foundation of what makes the United States of America beautiful. It’s the backbone behind an engine for self-determination and building a better tomorrow.
Soon, 700 Marines will have the opportunity to show the residents of Los Angeles, their fellow Americans, and people across the world which vision of the country they hold in their hearts. Will they side with the dream of a nation where people from all walks of life can live, work, and grow together, or will they submit to the demands of a wealthy, thin-skinned authoritarian?
May heart and community prevail over hate and fear-mongering.
Author: Scott Waldyn
Whatever You Need It To Be
When I was a little guy, I was both mischievous and an ardent rule-follower. That sounds like an oxymoron, but there’s truth in it. I enjoyed bending or breaking rules when I found a way to circumvent them. I’d stay up late on a school night reading or playing video games, then steal back some lost sleep with micro naps in class. When Star Wars: Episode III — The Revenge of the Sith premiered in 2005, I cut class with a few friends, and we spent the afternoon at the movie theater. This was far from the only time I flaked on important opportunities in lieu of fun, and as I grew, I found creative ways to skirt the “way things are supposed to be” for mischief.
At the same time, I was strict about which principles or rules I followed. Because storytelling was so important to me at a young age, I was a devout believer that there was an order to art and creativity, that there were laws that weren’t supposed to be broken. Vampires were warded off by garlic and avoided sunlight for fear of death. Silver bullets were the main method of dealing with werewolves. That sort of thing.
It sounds silly to think of myself as a child who was comfortable with skirting social expectations and norms but consumed books, movies, and comics with such rigidity. But this is also something that’s so very human. It’s a dichotomy we all carry with us in one way or another.
Eventually, I dropped the rigidity when it came to art and creativity. It came about in the most unexpected way. I watched a vampire flick called Innocent Blood, wherein an empathetic “good” vampire had to slay nefarious mobster vampires who were turning New York City into their playground. She did so with a gun, and the “bad” vampires were killed by destroying their brains. As much as it was fun, my brain couldn’t process rules normally reserved for ghouls or the living dead being applied to vampires here—two distinctly different monster types.
Continue readingDon’t Want to Support Bezos? No Problem
We live in strange, frightening times. Many of our most vulnerable populations are at risk simply because they ask for the right to exist. Assistance programs, resources, and educational assets like museums, libraries, and cultural centers are on the chopping block. What many of us consider “civilization” is teetering over the edge, plunging us into a warped reality that’s being advertised to us as “greatness.”
We write our representatives. We help each other out. We rebel in small ways, including where we decide to vote with our dollars. In the indie publishing/writing community, many readers and fellow creatives have decided to stand their ground and choose NOT to shop at Amazon. I consider myself among them.
This seemingly simple protest vote has been effective, it would seem, especially when it comes at a time when tariffs are applied and revised inconsistently. As I write this, Amazon has been declining since early February, and it’s lower than it’s ever been year-to-date.
As more readers hold strong, choosing to shop directly from businesses instead of a marketplace platform, having an ebook on Kindle becomes more challenging.
Luckily, a reader of mine turned me onto a platform called Itch.io. It’s geared toward younger readers, gamers, and niche communities, but it’s also home to a thriving ebook author community.
I’ve since added my novel, MACHINE: A Cybernetic Fairytale, to the platform. Because I make more with each purchase on Itch.io, I’ve also lowered the price on this platform. What was $8.99 on Amazon is now a cool, easy-breezy $4.99 on Itch.io. It’s never been a better time to check out the first in a new series of mine.
If you are unable to purchase my ebook and still want to show your support, considering sharing the link. For those who have read it, any and all reviews and feedback are welcome. Even if you hate it.
New Short Story: “24 Hour News Cycle of Violence”
Hey friends,
I have a new short story live today over at Behemoth Magazine. It’s fun, thrilling, action-packed, and the right kind of weird.
Read 24 Hour News Cycle of Violence
I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think, and if you feel so inclined, share!
Short Story: “16-Bit Heroism
Please Note: This short story first appeared in Literary Orphans. It’s being uploaded here as a way to preserve its presence on the web.
Image by Mariya Petrova-Existencia
“Feet-all-Al-Coal-Hall-Sin-Drum,” Alan sounded out. “That’s what my mom and dad said you have.” He jabbed his finger into the cool spring air to emphasize the point, just in case his furrowed brows and trembling lips failed to convey anger.
“What does that EVEN MEAN?” Markie fired back. His voice was raspy. He smelled like stale cereal. The tangled fluff of red hair atop his head was lopsided and bunched up to one side, and his freckles were gross. And Markie swore. The fear of God hadn’t touched him the way it had the others, hadn’t stirred in him the wrathful revelation, rendering him free to utter syllables no one else dare speak. One time, in front of the teacher, he even blurted out, “Shit!”
“It means you’re a jerk. That’s what it means!”
It was true. Markie was a jerk. He was the meanest jerk on the playground, and he’d bully kids on a whim. Everybody used to shy away from him at recess, so he’d have to conscript his “friends,” demanding to join their games in lieu of school-wide humiliation. And he wasn’t afraid of hitting to get his way. This was why the boys were afraid of him; it was why the girls hid from Markie.
Oh, the girls, Alan mused. Just entertaining the thought of ladies filled his mind with daydreams teeming with wet kisses and bony fingers wrapped tightly around his midsection. He imagined soft chins gently nuzzling a single hair taped to his smooth chest. It didn’t matter from which girl or for how long or if she had milk or peanut butter breath. Alan just wanted kisses. He wanted to be the lip-smeared hero from all of his videogames, defying all odds and manner of foes to collect puckered smooches from the fairer sex.
“You want to take that to your grave?” Markie loomed over the would-be hero like a ruby-freckled goliath, his broad shoulders rippling with visible muscles under that Van Halen T-shirt. His Neanderthal forehead creased as he drilled his right fist into his left palm. The resulting sound reminded Alan of a handsaw chewing through lumber. Slowly. Painfully.
When a tree is sawn in half in a forest, and nobody is around…
“I’m a meat-eater, chicken shit, and you’re the meat,” the barbarian growled. An inhuman growl. The kind of throaty growl that reminded Alan of the second boss in that Sega Genesis game he unwrapped last Christmas – Joe & Mac. It’s true; Markie lacked the flailing vines and the leafy mouth of the gargantuan, man-eating plant, but their bellows were nearly identical – ominous and pitched in the wrathful, revelatory octaves of Hell.
It took Alan and his brother, Greg, three tries before they cleared the second level, three tries before they discovered the perfect combination of stone boulders and boomerangs that would pummel that prehistoric flora back into the dirt. And when they finally mashed their fingers to victory, mugs of eggnog, the Christmas elixir of 16-bit champions, never tasted so sweet.
But even sweeter were the kisses. The spoils of war. The prizes of valor. With each boss slain, a voluptuous cavewoman would jog onto the screen, seeking out the hero who dealt the most damage. She’d kiss this loincloth-wearing champion – long and hard – for half a second. His life meter at the top of the screen refilled, he’d raise his arms in victory, standing next to his untouched brother, whose head bowed in shame. For only one could unlock the sensation of puffy-lip smooches. Only one could boast the lecherous treasures of courageous conquests at the caveman bar.
And each time he shamed his brother, Alan would watch in awe. His gleeful voyeurism lapped up the adventures of his digital Casanova, scribbling mental notes. There must have been damsels everywhere, inexplicably thrust into wanton captivity.
Continue readingLooking Forward to 2025
2024 was a big year for change.
It was the year I was promoted from a specialist to an account manager with the digital marketing agency I work for, meaning more responsibility as well as more freedom to assess clients’ needs and come up with a plan of action.
2024 was also the year where, creatively, I had to reassess where I put my time and efforts. I had to learn to say no and walk away from certain tasks if I wanted to say yes or carve out more writing time for myself, as well as time to spend with family, friends, and, most importantly, my wife.
It was also the year where I finally released MACHINE: A Cybernetic Fairytale, a book I had been writing and talking about off and on for several years now. After much trial and error querying publishers and agents, I decided to release it independently. MACHINE: A Cybernetic Fairytale is digitally available for purchase on Amazon Kindle or Gumroad. It’s also part of Kindle Unlimited, so you can read it for free (and leave a rating/review).
‘MACHINE: A Cybernetic Fairytale’ Out Now
It’s out! It’s (finally) out on Amazon!
My robot novella, MACHINE: A Cybernetic Fairytale, is available as an ebook. For those of you who have been following me for a while, this is a long-time coming. For newcomers who are fans of my comic book reviews, short stories, Substack newsletter, or podcast interviews, I’ve been tinkering and shopping MACHINE around for years now, and I’d be thrilled if you would read it and share your thoughts.
What’s it about?
Meet Rocket Pal Model 5.624 (“Rocket” for short). Despite his strongest efforts, his yearning and best attempts at self-termination are thwarted at every turn. Luckily for Rocket, his continued survival in a repugnant civilization teeming with humans who couldn’t care less for machines leads this bot on a journey of exploration and self-discovery. From joining a robot rebellion to finding itself at odds with both human villains intent on subjugating Rocket and a self-aware, vengeful rebellion leader who adopts the moniker of its former owners, Rocket computes the meaning of perseverance and what makes humans persist. No longer obsessed with its own destruction, Rocket works to overcome its enemies, fully realizing that we all have value — human and machine — and the capacity for good.
In short, it’s a science fiction odyssey about a suicidal robot. At its core, it’s about a feeling many of us have when we look in the mirror, and it’s a book written for those who have struggled (or currently are struggling) with suicide-ideation. The world’s a big place, and it’s easy to get lost in the shuffle of daily challenges, social strife, bad news, and everything else that leaves us feeling lost and hollow. Though a machine, Rocket is emblematic of anyone who has ever felt these negative feelings. He’s a champion for us all, a rallying call that could, perhaps, help us lift ourselves out of the rut.
Continue readingDefenders of the Earth Issue 1 – Trying Something New
For about five years (or more) now, I have been writing comic book reviews and podcasting over at TheBatmanUniverse.net. It was a gradual development, starting at first with a review or two, then moving up to editing duties and finally podcasting/interviewing duties. Today, I review anywhere from 2-3 titles per month, host the bi-weekly podcast, and edit a majority of the reviews and content that hits the site. To say it keeps me busy is an understatement.
In the course of getting a feel for the writing of comic book reviews and “chiseling upward” on my podcasting duties, I realized how much of a thrill it is to host a show. Seriously. It’s grown into a creative outlet that’s energizing. Before recording every other week, I get a hit of fear, adrenaline, and excitement all at once. That feeling is tenfold whenever I’ve had the opportunity to interview creators and Bat-fans.
If I’m being honest though, I never set out to be a guy who hosts a podcast. If you asked me several years ago if it was something I ever thought about, I would have told you no. The same can be said for the interviews. Never in my lifetime would I imagine that I’d be emailing comic book creators, Batsuit doubles, movie producers, and more for a chance to talk to them for 45 minutes.
But now that that door has been open, I feel the need to continue my journey and take on a new fear – putting my face in front of the camera.
That led me to Chronicle Chamber, an Australian-based fansite and comprehensive archive devoted to The Phantom. For those unfamiliar with the character, though he was created as American newspaper comic strip character in 1936, he’s seen much larger popularity across the globe than in the United States. An opportunity presented itself to review a State-side revival of the character, and I leaped at the chance.
My first review is attached at the end of the video below. Watch the Youtube clip, or head over to ChronicleChamber.com to see it.
Bear with me as I work the kinks out. As I keep trying out this whole video review thing, I will continue chisel upward. For the second video I just filmed, I already added a ring light tripod to my equipment.
July 2024: What’s the Latest?
It’s been several minutes since my last update. I apologize. These last few months, there have been many irons in many fires, and my time has been limited. When I do have the opportunity to write, it’s either in service of a review or podcast or a few moments to eek out some more words on my sci-fi novella sequel that, for now, I’m just referring to as Bellamy (I’ll post an update in the next few weeks).
As for the first scifi novella (the robot book), unless some publisher scoops it up last-minute, I am planning to release it by the end of the year. It’ll be digital/ebook-only at launch. That doesn’t mean a print edition is out of the picture, it just means one will be coming much later.
Continue reading5 Movies That Get My Creative Juices Flowing
Some movies make us dream. They may not be the greatest films ever made, but they spark something beautiful within us. These films make us write or draw, paint or build. I’ve written about five movies that get my creative juices flowing without fail. Let me know some of yours in the comments below.
5. Jason and the Argonauts (1963)
Jason and the Argonauts was one of those grand adventure films I was introduced to at an early age. The thundering soundtrack by Bernard Hermann, the creature designs from Ray Harryhausen, and the globe-trotting scope of Jason’s adventure had, and still does, have such an impact for me.
Though the plot is straightforward, the world Jason and his crew inhabit captures Greek mythology in a way that feels believably ancient and full of magic. It’s lived-in and populated by wild, mythical monsters that, under the skills of Harryhausen, feel so real. I’m not talking about the stop-motion animation, so much as the movements of the creatures. Harryhausen had a way of infusing personality into his monsters, which in turn made them feel all the more realistic, and, oddly enough, human-like.
As a work of art, Jason and the Argonauts takes a classic epic and retells it with passion, bombastic music, and limitless imagination. The scope of its odyssey inspires a sense of wonder that, as a kid, pushed me to take my creativity and run with it.
