#TheCrux Final Cover Design

‪#‎TheCrux‬: The book cover is complete and I am really pleased with the final product!

#TheCrux Final Back Cover Synopsis

It is where the crossroads of magic, science, time, and space meet that the Crux exists and the greatest fears of men reside.  Will those fears become mankind’s last hope?

The Crux exists as the only dimension that parallels the Fleshworld, known as the only residence of humanity.  The residents of the Crux called Citizens are created from the most powerful fears and emotions humanity emanates, those that drive its race to the brinks of self-discovery and ultimate destruction. 

The Crux's legacy defies the finite understanding we possess regarding the concepts of time and reality.  It was formed by entities known only as Elders and monitored by the Controller.  He is a being bound by Fate's dominion, dogmatically obeying her predominance without reservation. 

In an instant, what appears to be an anomaly quickly becomes a chaotic emergency after a Bridge between the two worlds forms and thousands of innocent mortal lives are lost.  It is up to a jaded Marshall, plucked from death out of the Old West, and his unorthodox and freakish crew to discover the source before an unspeakable evil takes total control.   They will be challenged and tempted at every turn, forced to face their own unrealized destinies and the cost of their abilities and immortality.  

Can they save a humanity that is blissfully unaware it is teetering on the edge of its own extinction?  And if so, is it truly worth the cost?  Either way, in the end...darkness will fall!

Just a Quickie Please: Dracula Untold

A perfect example of a solid story ruined by a poor delivery.  The Dracula tale has been done to death, pardon the punnage, but newcomer Gary Shore gives a fresh and fascinating take on the count's origins.   However, this well-crafted script loses all of its savor thanks to inferior performances by its key cast.  None was more apparent than Evans, who fails miserably at providing us the empathy and edge that this rebooted incarnation so rightly deserved.  I mean this is the same guy who sucked the life out of his character in the Hobbit series, so it seems even more apropos here.    The effects are inspired and the sweep and scope majestic, but even those qualities are not enough to breathe life into the anemic acting, draining this flick of all fright and fun.  1 out of 5 Kernels: a stake to the heart of an otherwise interesting foray, poor Drac is rolling over in his coffin as we speak.

Just a Quickie Please: Into the Storm Review

If you think Twister was a silly and unrealistic movie than this almost reboot delves beyond the depths of the outright asinine.   This latest foray into the ad nauseam genre of POV fare fails on every level from its poorly acted nonsensical script to a glutenous gorging of CGI that reduces every effect to downright silliness.  It is put simply and with all pun intended, a perfect storm of awful.  At least Paxton and Hunt made their outing engaging, entertaining, and, at some points, quite endearing.  There isn't a proverbial storm shelter in the world that could have protected this farce from the sheer damage it did to itself.  0 out of 5 Kernels: I wish they made a warning system for disasters like this flick.

The Crux, if it was a movie, cast

#TheCruxifitwasamoviecast

Okay, with every story I conceive and write, I eventually think up my dream team of a cast in the unimaginable case it were to ever become a feature film.  This book means so much to me that it gets the epic treatment.  So, if miracles do come true and money was no object, here's what it would be....

Ronin: Hugh Jackman or Stephen Amell​
Sasha: Raven-Symoné
Feast: Emma Stone
Penance: Emily Bett Rickards (bout'time she gets to kick a little ars)
Dolly: Chelsea Sofia​
Wilt: Britney Spears (and yes you read that correctly)
Etheria: Cobie Smulders
Clockwork: Paul Bettany
Kalos: Milo Ventimiglia
Ink: Cassie Kelson​
Gypsy: Chloe Bennet
Felicity: Jada Pinkett Smith
The Seamstress: Linda Carter
The Navigator: Hayley Atwell
The Controller: Michael Keaton
Slaughter: Mark Hamill

Wanna know who these characters are...buy the book in June!

#TheCruxplaylist

#TheCruxplaylist  I wanted to do this with my first book and, regrettably, I never did.    So here is the playlist I used while working on my newest novel.   After it is published and available for sale, I will update the list.  That update will denote which songs were enjoyed during what chapters so you can play them in tandem with your reading.  So here we go...

Ain't No Rest For The Wicked: Cage the Elephants
Don't You (Forget About Me): Nicole Mason
I Believe: EMF
Epoch: Isaac Moore
Uninvited: Alanis Morissette
Heroes(We Could Be): Alesso ft. Tove Lo
Jar Of Hearts: Christina Perri
Are You Gonna Be My Girl: JET
New Divide: Linkin Park
Team: Lorde
Take Me to Church: Hozier
The End Has Come: Ben Moody /Jason Charles Miller/Jason Jones
The Prayer: Jonathan and Charlotte ft. Only Boys Aloud
The Scientist: Avril Lavigne
Behind Blue Eyes: Limp Bizkit
Pepper: Butthole Surfers
Centuries: Fall Out Boy
The Preacher: Jamie N Commons

#TheCruxSynopsis Final Draft

It is where the crossroads of magic, science, time, and space meet that the Crux exists and the greatest fears of men reside.  Will those fears become mankind’s last hope?

The Crux exists as the only dimension that parallels the Fleshworld, known throughout the cosmos as the one true residence of humanity.  Myth and legend, fantasy and fairy tale, all have their roots in man’s rare glimpses of the residents of the Crux with the imaginations of humanity filling in the blanks.   It is the home of the monsters that haunt our minds and souls.  The residents of the Crux called Citizens are created from the most powerful emotions humanity emanates, those that drive its race to both the brinks of self-discovery and ultimate destruction. 

The Crux's legacy defies the finite understanding we possess regarding the concepts of time and reality.  It was formed by entities known only as Elders and monitored by the Controller.  He is a being who appears to have neither beginning nor end bound by Fate and her undeniable, unavoidable, and irreversible dominion.  For reasons shrouded in deep mystery, he dogmatically obeys her predominance without reservation or hesitation. 

In an instant, what appears to be a simple aberration quickly becomes a chaotic emergency after a Bridge between the two worlds is formed, and subsequently thousands of innocent mortal lives are lost.  This grim anomaly opens the floodgates for the denizens of the Crux to enter the Fleshworld freely creating ramifications that could violently ripple throughout the very fabric of time and space, fantasy and reality.  It is up to a raggedy, jaded Marshall plucked from death out of the Old West and his unorthodox, nearly unhinged crew to stop the madness and discover the source before an unspeakable evil takes total control.   They are faced with a cold and robotic Navigator, who is, at best vague in her assistance and the enigmatic and seemingly omniscient Controller, who refuses to move a hand against the cruel and calculating course of Fate.  With the powers that be against them there is no other option but to defy every parameter, rule, and program to save both dimensions from absolute corruption and total annihilation.

They will be challenged and tempted at every turn, forced to face their own personal, unrealized destinies and the cost of their abilities and immortality.   They will encounter a world that will reveal every weakness, compelling them to peer deep into their souls and ask questions never meant to be spoken.   In the end will they become heroes or be devoured by their desires?

Can they save a humanity that is blissfully unaware it is teetering on the edge of its own extinction?  And if so, is it truly worth the cost?  Either way, in the end....darkness will fall!

#TheCrux Update 04/10/15 One Last Glimpse

This will be the last picture of Britteny's that I post as the novel will be sent in for publication early next week.   It is the backdrop from one of the most horrific and heartbreaking elements of the story.  Britteny did an amazing job of capturing my vision with only a brief conversation as its foundation.  #TheCrux will be available in June so stay tuned for more details.

#TheCrux: Update of the Triumph

 #TheCrux: Check out Britteny Stanton​'s latest update to the Triumph!