First off, a little background information. As a writer, I'm still very much in the infant stages of what I hope will one day resemble a career.  I'm not merely talking skill level or number of publications, but also in terms of maturity and level of commitment.  I'm hovering at the edge of trying to make time for writing on a full-time basis, reluctantly  holding back for fear of financial obligations and practicality. Cherry Estates was a challenge for me to attempt

(click here for previous part) Blackout at Cherry Estates:  Part VIII It was darker up there, impossibly so.  Everything natural would say that it should be no more or less pitch black than the rest of the building, yet somehow the third floor conveyed an altogether unsettling feeling that threw nature right out the door. Ashley didn't know what she expected to find up there.  Monsters?  Witches?  A portal into Hell itself?  But there could be no going

(click here for previous part) Blackout at Cherry Estates:  Part VII "Make yourselves at home," Travis said, quietly shutting the door behind them.  His apartment was right at the end of the hall on the second floor, outside the staircase where they had found the stretched layer of material that Ashley sincerely hoped wasn't flesh.  Where they had lost Michael. Ashley worriedly regarded Catherine as they bundled into the tight entryway.  She had turned mute, arms

(click here for previous part) Blackout at Cherry Estates:  Part VI Michael was standing at the edge of an abyss.  He rocked on his heels, waves of vertigo crashing over his mind.  He put out a hand to steady himself and stifled a yelp of shock.  His fingers brushed against Catherine's jacket. At his touch, his girlfriend looked back at him in concern.  "Are you all right?" Sweat beaded on his brow.  "Fine," he breathed.  "Fine.  Just lost my

(click here for previous part) Blackout at Cherry Estates:  Part V They moved like kindergarteners, all linked hand-to-hand, Pat in the lead, Michael in the rear, Ashley and Catherine squeezed in the middle.  Pat held his flashlight out before them, cutting into the darkness like Moses parting the red sea.  Ashley still had her can of pepper spray on hand, but she kept that to herself.  The incident with Mrs. Watts had left her cautious.  Ashley had no way of

(click here for previous part) Blackout at Cherry Estates:  Part IV Pat slowly withdrew his hand from the impossibility that had drawn itself over the threshold like a curtain.  He held his fingers up to himself tentatively, as though he were apprehensive they would fall off or sprout tendrils or something.  But nothing happened. It was Catherine, rocking back on forth on the floor, who broke the silence first.  "Are we in Hell?" Pat seemed to seriously consider

(click here for previous part) Blackout at Cherry Estates:  Part III "Mrs. Watts?" Ashley called once more, in spite of her growing surety that the old lady was in no condition to answer.  If she remained in the lobby at all. The throaty, raspy breathing that had answered Ashley's calls grated like a cement mixer full of nails.  Ashley took a step back, unconsciously, and reached under her desk for the pepper spray that was her only form of protection.  She tu

(click here for previous part) Blackout at Cherry Estates:  Part II Monica Ellis had always had an irrational fear of the dark.  At least, that's what her friends called it:  irrational.  To her, it seemed perfectly reasonable.  For starters, it meant being unable to see where you were going.  That meant – at best – stubbed toes, bruised kneecaps, jammed fingers, or all of the above.  At worst...well...who could honestly say with complete confid

There was a throbbing, pulsing ache in Ashley Maddox's head.  It pulsated in time with every syllable streaming out of Tommy Salinger's mouth, each calculated, piercing insult he hurled at the young couple another pin in Ashley's forehead. "Reserved parking," Salinger spat.  "Can't you damn well read?  I swear to god, if I have to run this through my insurance, I'm going to strip you for all you're worth." "Look pal," the man in front of him said carefully, "I already

First off, the list, in its entirety, for easy access: My Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies 10.  Metropolis 9.  A Scanner Darkly 8.  Silent Running 7.  THX-1138 6.  The Mysterious Georgraphic Explorations of Jasper Morello 5.  The Truman Show 4.  Wall-E 3.  The Rocketeer 2.  2001: A Space Odyssey 1.  Dark City (Director's Cut) My Top 10 Sci-Fi TV Shows 10.  The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne 9.  Red Dwarf 8.  Babylon 5 7. 

If you're just joining my merry blog at this time, know that April 2012 has been declared SCi-FI MONTH!  This is to celebrate the impending arrival of George Takei at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, which will be, very simply, a night to remember. For Sci-Fi Month, I've been compiling a "top ten" list of some of my favourite Sci-Fi TV shows and movies.  Here's a handy-dandy list to recap the first two weeks: Top 10 Sci-Fi Movies 10.  Metropolis 9.  A Scanner Dar

A Scanner Darkly I rather expect some people will be left scratching their heads over this choice, but Richard Linklater's adaptation of Philip K. Dick's cautionary tale on drug abuse in a near-future sci-fi setting has stuck with me to this day. There's two major reasons for my enjoyment of this film.  Firstly, it is the most faithful adaptation of a Philip K. Dick story I have ever seen, and that includes ALL of these movies: -  Minority Report -  Paycheck -  B

Hello readers! For the month of April I thought I'd try something different.  It just so happens that the Toronto Symphony Orchestra will be performing a concert at the beginning of May called the "Sci-Fi Spectacular", which will feature guest host George Takei in all his glory.  As a lead-up to this nergasm of epic proportions, I thought I'd throw my hat into the ring of "best of" lists and do a top 10 of Sci-fi TV shows and a top 10 of Sci-fi movies. There really is no c

Now hear this!  I hereby proclaim Fridays of Look Out It Is a Blog "Fiction Fridays", wherein tales of a madeup nature will be told.  If you don't personally know me, let it now be made common knowledge that I am a writer of fiction and plays, and to that end will be practicing online.  Tune in on Friday for a radical change of pace from the rest of the week of Look Out It Is a Blog. (this first one's just a teeny tiny warmup, a little something I was thinking about to

(Readers:  the following is a work of fiction intended for satirical purposes.  It is in no way meant to resemble any real life individual or group of individuals.  Consider it, if you will, as a cautionary tale for what not to do in a Cover Letter.  If this does resemble you...stop it.  Please.  We have families) Dear Lucky Person,

Dear Execrable Douchemongers, What is your problem?  I can only assume you enjoy wasting your time and money, because there is no other logical explanation for the incessant chorus of chatter, snack-munching, coat wringing, and mime-whacking going on in the seating area. Maybe you thought the show was crap.  Maybe you were confused, and needed a couple of minutes of lip-flapping to get your mighty brain up to speeds reaching or even exceeding three.  Or maybe you were

Ye be fairly warned:  you who so enter these hallowed bloggy walls will find spoilers aplenty for several things:  Walking Dead, Serenity, Alien...other things.  Really though, the only one of these in recent memory is Walking Dead, so frankly if you cry spoiler on the other stuff than you just need to watch the shows when they come out :) Okay?  I'm going to look at the wall for a little while. I'll play a little music... Hum te tum... ... ... Okay, still h

Every now and then, I remember that Star Trek hasn't been on TV for nearly seven years. Yes, these are things I think about. To be sure, there was a very successful "gritty reboot" of the original series in film form that featured a very good cast with a decent director (J.J. Abrams) at the helm, but Star Trek in bite-sized, one hour form hasn't seen the light of day for some time and probably won't for the foreseeable future.  The next feature length film isn't slated until 20

I was talking the other day with a co-worker about the idea of "genre fiction", as it exists as a seperate entity from so-called "mainstream fiction." We both agreed that there is a tendency to look down on works written "in a genre", and a tendency to compliment works by labelling them as "genre-defining."  It's a strange brand of literary snobbery that bleeds into the public subconscious.  The idea is that books that are written in a genre are somehow of lesser quali

I'm doing it again. This marks probably the fourth time I've started a blog.  Why do I keep doing this?  I always struggle with updating on a regular basis, and ultimately drift off and end up doing other things. Well, I suppose the key thing is to look at it as an exercise.  I'm now at a point where I genuinely want to be writing on a regular basis, and facebook notes, while awesome, just aren't cutting it any more. I'll put whatever I feel like on here:  rants