Writing, music, family and the amazing powers of ADD

Like most people, I always seem to have a lot going on in my life−more than some, less than others. But what helps is my lifelong Attention Deficit Disorder, or what I like to think of as the ability to be interested in many things at once. Let me give you a run-down.  

My fourth book, a young-adult sci-fi thriller called GOD PARTICLE, was released in June, 2013 with Crossroad Press. I just released my fifth book, a horror/thriller novella called THE BLACK CHURCH, in Dec. 2013 with DarkFuse. My sixth book, a supernatural thriller novel called PRIMORDIAL, is on my editor’s desk. I am twenty-five-thousand words into my seventh book, another novel. 

I also write for my local newspaper and a local magazine, plus the occasional short story anthology.
 

Last week, I recorded several tracks with my band, SHANNON SALIGA and the MILLION WATT SUNS. I sing, play guitar, bass, drums, mandolin, keyboards and whatever is needed. I wrote all five songs and I’m also the recording engineer. 

 

I am a stay-at-home dad and spend every day homeschooling our daughter, who is eleven. I usually manage to get some writing in, but most of it happens at night, when everyone else is in bed. There is also the marketing that has to be done for all five of my published books, and believe me, that is a time-consuming process−I am a very “hands-on” author. There is also time spent trying to get reviews, contacting book stores, sending out unpublished manuscripts to editors and/or agents, and on and on.

On weekends, when I’m not writing, I try to spend non-school time with my wife and daughter, fixing up and cleaning the house from the various animals living in it (my daughter is an animal lover), maintaining the cars, and so forth. 

I’m an avid reader and fan of classic sci-fi and horror movies (I have nearly 500 DVDs of titles like King Kong, Creature from the Black Lagoon and Forbidden Planet) and I like to travel, though it’s not always affordable.

A few years ago, before I became a stay-at-home dad, I was also a college student and a full-time book store employee with a new baby. On top of that, I was the editor for the school newspaper and for the school’s literary magazine. Somewhere in there, I managed to start writing my first novel and release a CD. Talk about stress. So my life has actually slowed down quite a bit from that particular craziness.

I said all that to say this: I love my life, and wouldn’t change a thing. I’m right where I want to be, doing exactly what I want to be doing, and I’m extremely thankful to be able to say that. I owe it all to God, family, friends, my fellow authors, my publisher, the people who buy my books and music, and a wicked case of ADD!

Check out my writing, music and other insanity at www.tobytatestories.com, and on Facebook, Twitter and MySpace.

The soul of Frankenstein

I don't know if anyone has seen the movie FEAST, a direct-to-video gorefest starring Henry Rollins and directed by John Gulager, but it's actually pretty good for what it is - a gorefest. Basically, some people are trapped in a bar in some desert town in the midwest and are forced to fight for their lives against some inexplicable monsters who like to eat humans. There are also a couple of sequels, each one more bizarre than the last. The monsters are pretty convincing, the victims are pretty convincing, everything is pretty convincing.
But there's one thing that always bugs me about most modern horror movies like FEAST - there's no soul. I mean, sure, you get to see the humans fighting off the monsters while trying to maintain their humanity and hopefully win out in the end, but beyond that there's - well, nothing.
Here's an example. Frankenstein creates a monster. The monster comes to life, decides he wants to explore the world, and goes out in search of knowledge. Unfortunately, he doesn't look so hot and the townspeople misunderstand his intentions and ultimately come against him. The monster then goes on a rampage, causing even more misunderstanding and more misery.
In the meantime, we are feeling sorry for the monster, because, after all, did we not create him in the first place? There is some sympathy there, because we know that down inside, the monster doesn't see himself as a monster - he sees himself as a human.
I feel no sympathy for the monsters in FEAST - they're just monsters, one-dimensional and soulless. They simply kill and do...well, other things. The Frankenstein monster killed, too, but we also felt pity for him when he was being relentlessly hunted by angry villagers with torches and pitchfoks. Even though he couldn't talk, he was multi-dimensional and we could empathize with him.
How do you empathize with something that does nothing but kill? Think about other monsters like Dracula, or the Mummy, or the Wolfman, or the Creature from the Black Lagoon, or even Godzilla. We could empathize with all of these characters because we know that somewhere inside of them is a misunderstood being driven by circumstances beyond their control to do what they do.
That's the same way I wrote my book, DIABLERO. My monster is not just a killing machine - he has a heart and a soul and a battle going on inside that all of us as humans also have - the battle between good and evil.
That's why I like the classic monsters - the Mummy, the Wolfman, Dracula, Frankenstein - it seems like the monsters of today have lost their souls and have nothing to offer in the way of enlightenment, only entertainment.