Michael Bertrand's Blog

Catholic Reads reviewed Climb the Tree.

You can read it here:

https://catholicreads.com/2022/02/26/...

I was interviewed about Climb the Tree. You can read the whole thing at:

http://liezeneven.com/?p=2929

I went a bit heavy on the metal in the Suggested Listening post. Here are four non-metal songs that were strongly inspirational in the writing process:

“Brains” by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282. https://youtu.be/340RAYz7_SI“The Charmer” by His Name is Alive. https://youtu.be/o0X9iDMnSFc“Tetsuo” by Geinoh Yamashirogumi. https://youtu.be/De3cWcjZ0Q0“Making of Cyborg” by Kenji Kawai. https://youtu.be/q0z08OpmEPcNote- this is a traditional marriage song that invokes the presence of a god to bless the couple, but it’s played while a cyborg is being built at the beginning of Ghost in the Shell. So the organic is marrying the inorganic, and a soul is being called down to bless the union.

Here are some movies and TV series that strongly influenced the creation of CTT.  Due to the nature of the media it is not possible to link to full films.  Some are out of print and/or otherwise hard to find.

Neon Genesis Evangelion. (Anime series, 1996. available on Netflix)
AKIRA. (anime film, 1988. Available on Amazon Prime and Hulu. I prefer the subtitled version.)
Beyond the Black Rainbow. Trailer= https://youtu.be/bi7aQ-bKziY (2010, dir. Panos Cosmatos)
Iron Man Tetsuo. Trailer= https://youtu.be/mT3Nhci8HgY (1989, dir. Shinya Tsukamoto)
Rubber’s Lover. Trailer= https://youtu.be/XM-ZeGLrsps (1996, dir. Shozin Fukui)
Ghost in the Shell. (anime film, 1996. available on Amazon Prime, although only with dubbed dialogue.) Trailer= https://youtu.be/UCObZGueFeQ
Pulse. Trailer= https://youtu.be/eBI7UgUeVig (2001, dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa)

Don’t watch these in one sitting.

Music played a huge role in the creation of Climb the Tree. Here are seven tracks that inspired various parts of the narrative:

(Note: these are all uncensored & loud. You might want to turn your speakers down and make sure no kids are present.)

“Meet my Maker” by Manmade God. https://youtu.be/sKlAHKCbslA
“Depress” by Eyehategod. https://youtu.be/TeLg6Yg5mHw
“Erased, Over, Out” by Nine Inch Nails. https://youtu.be/o6KQVHMgFL8
“Divorced” by Tool + Melvins. https://youtu.be/GCPPPTZgWsQ
“Laid to Rest” by Lamb of God. https://youtu.be/-oVW8gcse4g
“Becoming” by Pantera. https://youtu.be/2ht3XGhlfYs
“Mansion World” by Deadsy. https://youtu.be/bfFBj9Hrh68

Bonus Track: “The Operation” by Thinking Fellers Union Local 282.

This will be the final test if it shows up on Goodreads and Amazon. Look for actual content soon.

So I’m trying out a new blog. I think I’ve synched it across Goodreads and Amazon. I’m hoping that when I write here, it will appear there.

Look for thoughts and reflections on the current status of my writing.