Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend

Blue Haired Alien Girlfriend

Description 

Joshua is a manager at FishBurgers who walks home alone every evening. One night, he comes across an unusual young woman by the name of Mariella sitting on a bench. He's thrown for a loop when she tells him where she's from, but he doesn't mind. He doesn't mind the fact that she has blue hair either, in fact it makes her all that much more interesting.

The people around Joshua feel that he's a bit odd and know very little about him. Each comes to their own snap judgements about him.

Sometimes love can be a little quirky, sometimes it can be a lot quirky.        

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What inspired the story

My wife and I met at Burger King where I was a manager.  She had a crush on me and I was oblivious to that fact as well as much of reality.  We've been married for 16 years, so I'm sure she's forgiven me for that fact.

Because I was so quiet all the time and never brought a girlfriend to work, my wife was told by co-workers that I was gay.  She took a chance anyway.  Three kids later . . .

I would always take long walks at the time and listen to my music.  She always teased me that I had a blue haired alien girlfriend that I would meet on my walks.  I admitted to it of course. ;) Anyway, that series of events led me to write this short story.  It's a mix of moments in my youth, mixed with a generous helping of fantasy.  None of it actually happened, though similar things did.

Writing process

This is one of the first short stories I wrote.  After writing my first book, Rojuun, I went back and looked at this.  I really liked the story, but realized that my writing at that time wasn't very good.  It helped me to understand why it was initially refused by Asimov Magazine when I submitted it to them back in 2006.

The biggest problem when I was editing was that I didn't start a new paragraph each time someone talked.  I understand that rule now, but at the time I didn't.  Recently, I made even more changes to improve the quality.

The cover is the Antennae Galaxy (one of my favorites) as taken by the Hubble Telescope.  I found a picture of a park bench overlooking clouds and merged the two photos for what is my second favorite cover from my books.

Excerpt

Joshua stopped in front of the girl.  They stared at each other, losing track of time.

“Hello,” she finally said in a silky voice that flowed over Joshua’s body.

He sat down next to the girl.  “Hi.”  The word seemed deep, not just a word, but so much more.  It was as though Joshua was saying ‘hi’ with his soul instead of speaking a casual greeting.  At that moment, hello and hi were the most significant concepts in the universe.

Her blue eyebrows wrinkled in puzzlement.  “Nobody should be able to see me . . . why are you able to?”  Her voice didn’t just enter his ears, it filled his entire being.

“Yeah.  I’m kinda like that too.  No one really sees me, which is the way I like it.”

She frowned and tilted her head slightly to the right.

Joshua noticed her eyebrows were blue all the way to the roots rather than dyed.  He leaned in to study them.

She leaned in as well, gazing deeply into his soul.

Her violet eyes were faceted like gems.  It was nice being so close to the girl.  She smelled . . . different . . . nice.  The scent wasn’t a perfume, but nice . . . like her voice.

“That’s not what I mean.”  A mystified expression crossed her features.  “I’m invisible, as in people can’t see me.”

Her face was perfect with smooth, flawless skin.  Joshua had an urge to run his hand along her cheek.  “What do you mean?” he asked in confusion.  Speaking in full sentences was difficult because he just wanted to stare at her.  The girl’s lips twisted a bit.  Joshua noticed they seemed to have a touch of blue as well.

“What I mean is that I have a device that makes me invisible.”  She tapped a round object attached to her utility belt.  It had little lights that slowly blinked.

Joshua did a double take.  He hadn’t noticed the utility belt at first, being too lost in her eyes.  He looked at the rest of her.  She was dressed in a simple burgundy tunic and a long black skirt.  Around her waist was the silver utility belt with devices attached.  Many of them had flashy lights like the invisibility device.  “Ahh, you’re a Trekkie,” he said with a nod.

Her eyebrows furrowed again.  Joshua loved staring at them.  They were the most amazing eyebrows he had ever seen in his life.

“I am not a Trekkie, whatever that is.”  She took a deep breath, which was enjoyable to watch whether she was a Trekkie or not.  “I’m not even supposed to be here.  I just . . .”  She trailed off, looking toward the silhouette of the mountains.

Joshua put his hand on her shoulder.  “Are you okay?”  He tried to concentrate on what was going on with her and at the same time, pay attention to how nice her shoulder felt under his hand.  He succeeded at neither, his mind exploding in a mixture of sensations.

Conclusion

If you get a chance, I hope you check the story out.  It's a fun little tale of a lonely young man and his blue-haired alien girlfriend.

All my best,

John H. Carroll

Comic review: Nadir's Zenith

"Nadir's Zenith" by Jackson Compton and Jerry Bennett

Nadir's Zenith is the Brainchild of Jackson Compton brought to life by the fantastic art of Jerry Bennett.

With the advent and harnessing of hyperspace technology, mankind left for the stars with reckless abandon. In the year 2112, corporations are the off-world governments policed by the Intergalactic Peace Corps. Follow the adventures of IPC Space Marshal, Captain John Nadir on his adventures through the galaxy. "Nadir's Zenith" is Space Opera, 100 years in the making!

Jackson Compton is a wonderfully handsome (so he says) novelist, screenplay writer and comics creator.  In his spare time, he doesn't knit, though he knows someone who does.

Jerry Bennett is a comic and children's book illustrator extraordinaire and T-shirt designer to boot!  He once sang in the rain, though they didn't make a movie about it.  That was someone else.

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(All images © Jackson Compton and Jerry Bennett. All rights reserved.)

Comic #1 Description



Jackson Compton - Creator, Writer and Letterer. Jerry Bennett - Artist, Inker and Designer

Standard Comic
Black & White
Page Count: 24
POD (Print on Demand)

Undertaking a secret mission, John Nadir prepares for his departure from Earth to Moon City. Nadir gets more than he bargains for when a simple stop for a layover drink with a spunky Tech Specialist turns into an all-out brawl.

With the advent and harnessing of hyperspace technology, mankind left for the stars with reckless abandon. In the year 2112, corporations are the off-world governments policed by the Intergalactic Peace Corps. Follow the adventures of IPC Space Marshal, Captain John Nadir on his adventures through the galaxy. Nadir's Zenith is Space Opera, 100 years in the making!

Nadir's Zenith #2 TM and © Jackson Compton and Jerry Bennett. All rights reserved.


Comic #2 Description

Jackson Compton - Creator, Writer and Letterer. Jerry Bennett - Artist, Inker and Designer

Standard Comic
Black & White
Page Count: 24
POD (Print on Demand)

Captain John Nadir is recalled to Earth for a secret mission briefing. Little does he know that his very life depends on the outcome.

With the advent and harnessing of hyperspace technology, mankind left for the stars with reckless abandon. In the year 2112, corporations are the off-world governments policed by the Intergalactic Peace Corps. Follow the adventures of IPC Space Marshal, Captain John Nadir on his adventures through the galaxy. "Nadir's Zenith" is Space Opera, 100 years in the making!

Nadir's Zenith TM and © Jackson Compton. All rights reserved.


My Review


Nadir's Zenith is a series of sci-fi comics by Jackson Compton and Jerry Bennett.  The first two are available at Indy Planet, while the third is due to be available in June. (There better be more, just sayin'.)

It's fascinating how comics tell a story primarily through illustrations and dialogue.  As a writer, I have to use words to illustrate all the extra details.  I can't even draw a stick figure well (they usually look like they have broken bones)

I generally do reviews of books, but I grew up on comic books.  My brother had boxes and boxes of them.  My favorite comic book hero was Silver Surfer, with Green Lantern a close second.  Then, in the late 70's, my brother sold his entire collection at the Flea Market for $40, including quite a few 1st editions.  *sigh*

Anyway, I meet a  variety of people on my journey as an author.  One of those is Jackson Compton, who creates the Nadir's Zenith comic series along with Jerry Bennett.  I decided to buy the comic books a few weeks ago.  I put in an order at Indy Planet.  They're $4.00 apiece, plus a couple of bucks for shipping, an excellent price.  About a week after purchase, I received an email stating they had been printed, and a few days later, they were shipped to me.  I received them in the mail soon after.


Book #1 begins by setting the date (2112) and the advent of hyperspace technology.  The illustrations instantly drew me in.   Jerry Bennett's artwork communicates what's happening in steps that move the reader through the story.  One of the best parts about comics for me is losing myself in the images, wondering what's happening in the background and what it might be like to live in the worlds shown to me. Nadir's Zenith has those details in many of the illustrations without ever taking away from the main focus of the scenes.  I believe his talent shines in the facial expressions which lift the characters from the page and make them real.

The story is old school sci-fi pulp fiction (The same flavor as my short, "Test Pilot")  We learn about Captain John Nadir, a tough space explorer for the Intergalactic Peace Corps.  The dialogue is rapid and just a touch snarky, my favorite. :)  Much of the first comic sets up the series, but it's a strong introduction that left me eager to get to the next episode.

And then we're left with a mystery that I don't think will be answered soon.  I'm very intrigued . . .

Book #2 starts on a different world featuring a new race of beings.  Throw in a couple of humans and things go badly as they generally do when humans are involved.  (Trying hard not to give any spoilers)  Once again, the illustrations drew me in, making me want to visit that world.

Then we get back to Captain John Nadir along with a new character, Tech Specialist Seraphina Mitchell. (already my favorite character.  I hope she sticks around)  The background illustrations really deliver much of the story these scenes.  They draw the main characters into events around them.

I love the chemistry between characters and the touches of humor sprinkled throughout.  They're tough in a galaxy that's just as tough.  The story leaves a universe of possibilities for the future.

Each of these comics left me wanting to read the next. I'll be keeping up with this series for as long as they keep writing them. :)

Coming soon, Comic #3

#3 should be out in June.  Keep your eye out for it at Indy Planet!


Indy Planet, a great source for Independent Comics

If you're interested in the extraordinary selection of comics available out there, check out Indy Planet.

POD (Print On Demand) comics

Just as I have my books printed on demand through Createspace, Comic creators can have theirs printed through Ka-Blam.

Disclaimer

I have decided to review books that I enjoy. I am an avid reader of fantasy, so most of them will be in that genre. I'm not taking any requests, just reading what catches my eyes. You'll find that most of these are from Indie Authors. The way I figure it, David Eddings, Anne McCaffrey, Alan Dean Foster and Piers Anthony (my favorite authors) already have enough reviews, but Indies could always use a few more.

It is important to note here that while I am a writer, I am doing these reviews as a reader. I also know a number of the authors I will be reviewing. This is not an exchange of reviews, nor have I been solicited by those authors to write the review.  If I don't like a book, I won't review it.

All my best,

John H. Carroll