Jake Bible Fiction

  • Growing Up Fundamentalist…Pagan!

    Oh yeah, if that title doesn’t get your attention then there is no hope for you!

    Fundamentalist Pagan? Is that even real?

    Trust me, it is. I figured in this time of Pagan ritual (look up where Christmas really came from), I’d give some details into my own Pagan past and how it defines my work.

    You see, fundamentalists come in all shapes and sizes, all religions and beliefs, all dietary extremes, you name the subject and someone will fit the description of a fundamentalist in regards to that subject.

    Maybe a quick definition of fundamentalist is in order!

    Definition of Fundamentalism:

    1 a often capitalized : a movement in 20th century Protestantism emphasizing the literally interpreted Bible as fundamental to Christian life and teaching b : the beliefs of this movement c : adherence to such beliefs
    2 : a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles

    Yep, that about sums it up in definition 2.

    Let me be very clear here, this post is not about religion or theology, not at all. In fact, as I watch your eyes glaze over, this post isn’t even about Paganism or really fundamentalism. It’s about how fundamentalism has influenced my writing and especially my subject matter.

    Now, I can see the look in many bloggers’ eyes right now. That look says, “That’s quite a set up if you aren’t going to actually talk about fundamentalism and paganism.” In which I respond, “Just hold on, it’ll all make sense soon!” You see, I was raised to believe all conventional religions were the Evil that was destroying the world. And yet, my name is Jacob David Bible. Sure, it’s just a name and doesn’t define me. But, when you are trying to avoid discussion about theology, or specifically Christianity, and your name is Bible, well, good luck with that.

    I spent my entire childhood being asked, “Are you a Christian? Which church do you go to?” and being the young, whippersnapper I was, I’d reply, “No, I’m not Christian. Christianity destroyed the earth religions and created a paternalistic hegemony that has driven all free thinkers into hiding.” The usual response? “Oh, well, that’s quite a name…”

    “What does this have to do with writing?” you ask. Well, this set me up to be a rebel and heretic while also having the power of one of the most influential religions in history at my fingertips. If that isn’t the beginning of an epic saga then I don’t know what is!

    I could embrace the mysteries of Druidism, the peace of Buddhism, the contradictory joy of Taoism, the millions of gods of Hinduism and the secrets of Astrology, with all the different healing and health elements that come with those and yet, I could walk the mainstream world of American Christianity with open arms. I mean, after all, who’s going to reject a guy named Jacob David Bible?

    “But the writing!” Stop yelling at me. Don’t you see? What are religions? Any religion? Come on, guess! Give up? They are stories! Parables, fables, moral lessons, genealogical recordings, creationist musings, explanations of the mysteries of the universe and life itself! In religion we find the richest treasure trove of speculative fiction ever! This is where it all started. Whether a kick-ass resurrection story or how the world rests on the back of a great turtle (Prachet didn’t think that up on his own). Where else can people be turned to salt or a multi-limbed goddess of Death can devour the world? A great big dog headed god holds the fate of your afterlife in it’s paw? Not enough for you? What about the Djinn or ghuls of Arabia? No? Still not convinced? Harpies then? Demi-gods that must slay minotaurs or destroy cyclopean monsters? Wow, y’all are tough nuts.

    Okay, let’s change stories. How about instead of characters and creation myths, what about all the end of the world legends? I’m a post-apocalyptic writer. All my novels take place after the world as we know it has been destroyed some way or another. You know, like the Apocalypse that comes to play in Armageddon? Or maybe Ragnarok? 2012 anyone? Yep, without those great Pagan, and Big 3, End Of Days stories I’d have nothing.

    Now, I’m not going to go into my own beliefs, that would just tick some of you off and also start one of those pointless theological arguments. Plus I’m right, so no need for you guys to even bother! 😉 (Big wink there).  But without my exposure to the thousands of different myths beyond Christianity, Judaism and Islam (and including those, too!) I wouldn’t have the depths to draw from that I do. Trust me, buy a copy of DEAD MECH and you’ll find a few themes in there. Many are buried under the blood and guts, the violence and gore, but they are there.

    Read definition 2 again. “strict and literal adherence to a set of basic principles”. That’s story and plot, people! By having to always argue and question my beliefs and the beliefs of others as a child, I fine-tuned a part of me that looks for the loophole, the weak point of every argument. It is something I’ve had to struggle with my whole life, how not to be an argumentative asshole that’s always pointing out the flaws. But, oh the mad plot skills it gave me! I read over a draft and I know exactly where my story weaknesses are. I know where the inconsistencies are and I am able to fix them. Once again, read DEAD MECH, you’ll find holes and missing explanations. They are there for a reason! I know every single one of them and they make for great jumping points for the next books! Fill in those holes and what have you got? One solid mofo of a story! Thank you Fundamentalist Paganism!

    Is that all that drives and defines me? Hell no! I’ve got way more going on, plus I like to buck trends and convention and rip the skin off the myths and rules, turn them inside out and make readers squirm a bit. Religion can be brutal, sure, but if you make your followers nauseous they can’t really sit through a sermon. And thats where I come in! I take those bits or story, those archetypes and warp them so you are constantly off-kilter and looking over your shoulder. I ain’t here to make pretty stories, I’m here to grab you by your guts and pull! And you can thank Fundamentalist Paganism for that!

    Okay, enough word rambling. I hope everyone had themselves a wonderful Christmas, Solstice, Festivus, Hahnukka, Kwanza, Yule time, Great Spaghetti Monster buffet feast, etc. Here’s to the New Year!

    Cheers!

  • Friday Night Drabble Party!

    Merry Christmas Eve Y’all!

    What better way to celebrate the Holidays than to read a little Friday Night Drabble?

    Like I mentioned in last week’s post, Friday Night Drabble Party is going to be a serialized story over the next few weeks. I have no idea how many weeks it will take or even what exactly the story is, so just hang tight!

    I know you are all busy with family and friends and the drama that brings, so I won’t take up any more of your time. Well, other than the time it takes to read this drabble!

    Tonight’s is titled “Hunger”.

    Enjoy!

    Hunger

    Disclaimer: You may want to save this up and read it when you are trying to escape the stink of Uncle Mort’s cologne. Tell him it’s urgent “business”. Uncle Mort will understand.

  • The Best Laid Plans…

    Monday already? Wow, guess it’s time for another blogpost.

    I posted on my Facebook fan page that I needed some ideas on what to write about. Not that I don’t have a ton of ideas, but the ones in my head may not be what you want to read. I was lucky to get a great response which has led to the following words.

    When I first started DEAD MECH, I had grand plans for world domination! I still do, but of course reality gave me a good, hard slap upside the head and those plans, while still there, are moving like a slow assault instead of the juggernaut I expected.

    This should not come as a surprise to any busy author, or podcaster, that has a full time job and a family. I’ve listened to a ton of podcasters saying how much work podcasting is and read a million interviews (well, maybe only 900,000 interviews) by authors on the long hours spent writing into the wee hours of the night in order to get words on paper and their project finished. For some reason (reason equaling my giant, stupid ego) I thought I was above all this hassle and I’d be able to whip out a novel, podcast it, get it published, make some merchandise, get a TV or movie deal, make those projects, get paid millions and then life would just take care of itself. Completely realistic, right?

    Well, I accomplished quite a bit of this and probably could have gotten to the other stuff (maybe not the millions of dollars, right off…), but there was one thing I didn’t account for. DEAD MECH isn’t a one-off novel, it’s part of a three book series. And those other two books don’t write themselves. Now, I’m used to multi-tasking, I’m a parent and husband that works full time, so you have to multi-task or nothing gets done, but I’ve never been an author before. There are aspects of a writer’s life you don’t realize until they are right in your face.

    The first aspect is there is only so much time in the day and only so much a brain can do within that time. I’m lucky I write fast, so getting my word count in isn’t too hard. The other stuff though… Yikes! In order to get more content out there, and keep the DEAD MECH machine rolling, I’ve had to put the merchandising, the graphic novel, the really cool video campaign I wanted to do, the RPG, the all important interviews, etc, on hold and just write.

    Second novel is written, though. “What?” you say. “Second novel written?” Yeah, I’ve kept that under wraps pretty well, don’t you think? (I’ll say more in the coming months). But, it’s still rough and needs work. I’m also in the middle of writing a YA novel not related to DEAD MECH. That is taking up a ton of time, also. (More info on that soon, too).

    In addition, I happen to be one of those people that is done creating at a certain point in the day. I can’t push it, I can’t force it to happen and I can’t just crank out crap to fix later. I have to have decompression time to let the stories work themselves in my head. I’m a systems guy, a bit of an efficiency expert, and I’m OCD when it comes to wasted energy and time. If my brain says, “Work time over! Relax now or I shut down EVERYTHING!” then I have to comply or whatever I try to produce will just have to be re-done later and my OCD kicks in and I freeze up for days. Trust me, I’ve tried.

    There is this other thing that has gotten in the way of building the DEAD MECH empire: money. Cash, scratch, credits, cha-ching, etc. That’s one detail you can’t get around. To this day I have not made a single penny off DEAD MECH. “But what about all those signed books you shipped?” you ask. Nope, that money went to pay for other writing expenses. No profit so far. Ugh! So without cash there can be no posters, bumper stickers, caps, mouse pads, beer cozies and all that good stuff China makes for us. I do hope to have it out there at some point, but many factors go into this.

    “But haven’t you had folks volunteer time and resources?” you ask. Wow, you guys sure are chatty today! I have had many people volunteer time and resources and I have taken a few up on those offers. The only problem right now is I don’t even have time-slash-brain power to coordinate the volunteers. If only I had a business manager and/or audio producer. But, what would the ramifications/expectations be in that kind of relationship? I can’t even wrap my mind around that at all. Business and creation don’t always want to play nice in the ole brainpan.

    Now, I am NOT complaining. This is NOT a sympathy post. I just wanted to give y’all a little insight into my motivations and actions. I’m hoping some folks may learn from this or, at the very least, remember reading this when they find themselves in the same situation. Not in an “I told you so” way, but in a “You’re not alone!” way.

    What more is there to say? Plenty, but I’ll have to save those words for the future. Before I go, I would like to say a special thank you to one volunteer that has been tireless in his work for me. Ed Delaney! You know him by the great podcast graphic he did for DEAD MECH and the OUTSTANDING cover he did for the published novel. If you haven’t gone to www.peculiarcomics.com then you should right away. Have a look see at what ED is up to. He’s an amazing artist and creator and a pretty darn good writer in his own right. Check him out!

    That’s all for now, I better get back to writing novels and all that jazz.

    Cheers Y’all!

  • Scenes From The Apocalypse!

    Time for more Scenes From The Apocalypse!

    This week’s installment is titled “Weight Of The World”.

    It’s a bit of family drama, probably a situation we would all have to face once the zombie Apocalypse comes…and it will come! Muwahahahahahaha!

    So kick back on this almost Winter’s night and get ready for an extra chill!

    Enjoy!

    SFTA-Weight Of The World

    Show Notes:

    All music is by Kevin McLeod www.incompetech.com

  • Friday Night Drabble Party!

    Happy Friday Y’all!

    Friday? Well, that must mean it’s Friday Night Drabble Party time!

    I’m starting something different this week. I have an idea in my head and it won’t go away, so I have decided to turn that idea into some drabbles and share them with you. This will be my first serialized drabble story and I hope you like it.

    Let me know how it works for you as the weeks go by.

    For the first installment I bring you, “Twister”.

    Enjoy!

    Twister

    Disclaimer: I have no idea where I am going with this. There is no outline. No story arch I’m trying to achieve. It’s all about the exploration!