Intro, Welcome, Eggs Plantation or 2, and Outro
"Your enthusiasm is encouraged." -Robert Fripp
Thank you for stopping by. Please excuse the temporary nature of this embryonic domain; I cobbled it together quickly while trying to take the time to construct my own pages for the website I envision and intend it to be. Unfortunately, my dreams (and intentions) are somewhat grander than my capabilities at the moment, thus so much for my elaborate Flash animated opening page showing a kneeling Lily shot from the rear inside of a cathedral, supplicating before stained glass windows to the strains of "Lilium" (from the anime "Elfen Lied") while panning overhead into the novel's title... *momentarily lost in reverie*
Ah well. Sometimes you just have to bring your ambitions down to earth a bit. (By the way, if intimidated by this page's daunting amount of massed verbiage, or don't have the time or interest to read, atop this page lies your escape. No one will blame you if you run away for Home screaming like a little girl.) I have noted that a few pages are justified-left for some reason, I'm still working on that. Please move your chair to the left about three inches; that should do it for now ;-)
This humble page will serve as sort of a Letter of Introduction and Intent not only to agents and publishers, but also to well... everyone else, namely those who I wrote UNBOUND for, the Dear Reader. These two groups won't necessarily be after the same thing, and as this page covers everyone's presumed interests, it's necessarily lengthy. I beg your indulgence and patience; if you have neither, you know where to go.
(The top, the top menu I mean! Sheee...)
So anyway, rather than trying to design the perfect site, for now I'm going to be focusing most of my time in using it to promote and assist in publishing my novel, the epic, gothic flavored, urban fantasy entitled UNBOUND. This is not only the purpose of this domain but my whole reason for being over the last couple of decades. (Reasons, excuses, and travails are summarized on the About page, if interested in the drier details). I plan on keeping the Blog updated as well as the more dynamic sections, and hope to add these updates weekly depending on my workload. Eventually I'll want a high-quality site to reflect the quality of Lily's Project and will be working towards that end once I'm done contacting agents and publishers and have to start the waiting game, at which time I ought to have the time to spare for upgrading. In any case, here is, for you long-suffering and patient inquisitive ones, finally an embarcation point from which to begin your UNBOUND journey that you will walk along with Lily, for a ways...
UNBOUND REACTIONS AND BLATANT TEASE
I wouldn't have taken this circuitous route to publication if I weren't convinced that I was dealing from a position of strength. I always wanted UNBOUND to be a work of significance, as epic as possible, as all-encompassing and un-dogmatic as possible, and as personal to each Reader as possible. To summarize the couple of dozen reports and feedback I've gotten over the years, those who've read the first chapters and reported back have described it as an intriguing beginning to a special story, and were unanimous in their enjoyment of it.
I was fortunate enough to encounter three persons who offered to serve as First Readers, those who go over an entire manuscript to critique, analyze, and point out errors. Two of them even went over its seven hundred pages twice so delighted were they with it. These are the only ones to have read the whole novel and have any inkling of the twists in the story or the general plot, which aside from tidbits tossed here and there I've kept camoflaged dilligently. One of these is an Edgar-nominated author, another worked with Cornelius Ryan, and my last is highly literate, gifted, and a Shelleyan like myself (and so better able to understand the subtler themes, symbology, and references). Their comments ranged from "fantastic story, a real page-turner", "I absolutely love Lily", "don't dare shorten it", "very well-written", "deeply moving", "comparable to anything on the stands right now", "heartbreaking", "simple on the surface with many deep currents", "the characters are so believable", "so descriptive I felt like I was there", and even "nightmarish", all the way to "transcendent", "I've never read a love story written in such a way", and "it's a masterpiece; a work of genius". (Of course, these comments are all taken and given out of context, not to mention memory, but the gist.)
It's amusing to note that UNBOUND has drawn more comparisons to films than books; various persons have mentioned "Wings of Desire", "Night of the Hunter", "Magnolia", "The Sixth Sense", "Dogma", and "Memento". (Note that these were only relating to certain scenes in sampled chapters, not necessarily the whole film, its storyline, or characters.) (In other words, don't jump to any conclusions!) The only book I can recall anyone comparing it to was Stephen King's "The Stand". UNBOUND is based thematically on "Frankenstein, or, the Modern Prometheus" and "Prometheus Unbound," but likely not the themes you might expect. In fact, expect the unexpected while traveling through the realms of UNBOUND...
Lily's story begins languidly and innocuously enough floating on a lake near Pismo Beach, where she's vacationing with her ward, William. While Will's love is blossoming for his (somewhat) oblivious guardian, Lily's immediate concerns lie more with her increasing absentmindedness, memory lapses, and sudden plunges into melancholia. What he wants is "his" Lily. What she wants is her peace of mind. This is the state at the beginning of the story, and as matters progress, new desires, elements, and obstacles emerge, and some wants become impossible. What they do get on their return home to San Francisco is a mysterious companion and awakened harbingers of things wondrous, of things ancient. They portend spiteful creatures emerging, evil ones, hateful ones, and ones with very long memories and a longer reach, after this.
You'll find the first chapter (bit-by-bit, by-and-by) on the Excerpt Page . There is little else I can reveal now since there are so many spoilers. Everything becomes quite involved after Part One...
GETTING AROUND THE SITE
The Portal Page will be where you can jump into other areas on the site. From there, the main UNBOUND Page has overviews of the story, the characters , the novel's evolution, and more on exactly who this Lily person is. There's also a section where I'll be adding new original material in the form of short vignettes featuring the characters in UNBOUND, taking place prior to the novel. This section, BOUND/Steps Out of Time (tentatively), is intended to be an expanding series of shorts that will eventually be compiled as a prequel-sequel to UNBOUND, which also will spawn its own proper sequel after that. The first entry will be of Lily, the next week I'll add Will's, and so on with the twelve major characters of Book One each taking their turn, covering most of Parts One and Two. Hopefully by the time they're finished I'll have a publishing deal and then can move to the characters in Book Two, comprised of Parts Three, Four, and Five. This is a long-range plan, just in case.
That will bring us to the halfway mark of UNBOUND. In its final form (i.e. before an editor begins cutting) it's at 733 pages and 386,429 carefully-picked and lovingly-crafted words. It's been intensely rewritten, revised, edited, and reorganized, and then just as mercilessly scrutinized, criticized, and then re-edited, snipped here, tucked there, and stitched all back together. Repeatedly, until I got it perfected to the point where I am (and my First Readers are) very happy with it. I'm confident that with a going-over by a professional editor that this story will shine like the crazy diamond that it's meant to be. Hm, not a bad analogy!
There are so many characters, so many plots, so many themes, allegories, and intentions throughout UNBOUND that even using this entire site to discuss them all just wouldn't be manageable. I had planned a Forum, but realistically it wouldn't work out, so I'll use the Blog for interaction, and most likely make it as the Home Page as well, relegating this page to a (long) footnote. I pray that soon Lily's story will find its way into your hands, and then you may read for yourself, and see for yourself, and feel saturated, satiated, and overflowing with It... emphasis on "feel" ;-)
WHAT KIND OF NORMAL GUY AM I?
I'll add this section as a precaution/disclaimer to help you understand exactly what you're getting into should you decide to look deeper into the site, Blog , or utilize the Contact Page . First of all, I believe in treating people nicely and decently; I see no shame in it. Simply put, that's just the way the world should be. But at the same time I'm highly independent, a notorious free-thinker, and dyed-in-the-wool nonconformist. I don't necessarily take pride in these things; I'm just sayin'. Being these things doesn't always come across as nice, but that's just an illusion. Really. Everyone doesn't have to think or behave like one another. And I really don't. And that's.. o-kay.
I'll try to help you understand what I can here on my site, but I won't care to explain TOO much about the story, or myself (yet, anyway). I won't exactly be bending over backwards in order to be popular, understood, or even sell books, though I'll do whatever it takes to get Lily's story into as many hands as possible. That's my goal, and that of my Muse 's: to share and spread her story as if it were a present, medicine, or an embrace to each Reader; certainly not for fame, fortune, or notoriety. I just want to make a living telling stories. Having fun is good too. I like to have that. Having fun making a living telling stories therefore must be the best thing in the world! So I'm going to try to solve that little puzzle with Lily's story and see what happens before time runs out.
I'm guess I'm hard to peg. My beliefs and interests vary widely and are quite round, whereas most of the holes I've been pounded into have been decidedly square. I don't do that (or even argue) anymore. If I don't fit it's fine; Haight Street survivor, remember? I don't allow people or peers to dictate to me what is "okay" to find enjoyment in, or "cool" to be into, and tend to dislike most things that are popular, as popular = square, and common to me. So you might come across opinions or material here to be in what you might consider questionable taste. Consider this fair warning and my only apology: SORRY ABOUT THAT. I don't try to offend, but some people are just so damned easy and eager to be these days, and then of course demand their pounds of flayed flesh... I won't satisfy those of that ilk or be roped into playing that disturbing and disgusting blame game. So, there's my apology. All better! :-D
There's a quote that I used to use for my sigs because it so perfectly fits me (unless you take "dancer" literally). From The Who's "Quadrophenia":
"A tough guy, a helpless dancer.
A romantic, is it me for a moment?
A bloody lunatic, I'll even carry your bags.
A beggar, a hypocrite, love reign over me.
Schizophrenic? I'm Bleeding Quadrophenic."
A fairly appropos appraisal for this crusader/romantic/hippie/scofflaw. One moment I'll be thoughtful and formal, the next impulsive and reactionary, another philosophical and spiritual, and then immediately say something thoughtless and aggressive. Sorry if it's inconsistent, but I really won't care if it is/I am; WYSIWYG. I bear few people malice (mainly malicious ones); am "mostly harmless"; live by the Golden Rule; do your own thing but first do no harm kind of guy, and wish THAT were Normal. Honesty is most important to me, and fakery is the worst. I don't put on masks, just the one that I happen to be wearing in that instant that changes at any given moment on its whim or mine. And that's really no mask; it's my face, thankyouverymuch! I especially don't like people getting all up in it, and tend to deal with them harshly (as they deserve). When confronted with bullying, tyrannical behavior, and cruelty, I turn not-very-nice very quickly and unintentionally (for the most part) savage. It's a hardwire type thing. See apology above. Forewarned is forearmed! I'll try to be good if you will ;-)So, THAT is what and whom you're dealing with. Caveat emptor, Dear Reader... and Thank You for your interest. I hope that you let my stories touch you as deeply as I wish them to, as deeply as you wish to be touched, as deeply as you need. I believe that Lily's story will reward you in The End, and that you too may feel UNBOUND...
Love, Peace, and Happiness to you and to yours.
Sincerely,
RSM
"I respond to enthusiasm." -Robert Fripp
[PLEASE NOTE: At this time, the present site ought to be considered alpha-state. These pages are all based on templates courtesy of free and open source designers, and are gratefully accredited on each. Still, nothing beats growing your own, so please stand by (or sit, as the case may be) while I fiddle with all of these interesting concepts regarding the filling in of this webspace with electronic words and pictures that I expect to sell ink-typed words on paper with, and see the spread of ideas and ideals electronically so I can keep tapping on these plastic keys as I type ever more words and so on, and on, and on... ]