Linus Locke's Blog: Decay: Blog

Hello everyone!

I just wanted real quickly to say that I published my first book under my real name, D.L. Spitznogle. It's called, Of Onyx and Light, and it's about a demonic entity that is freed in a small Iowa town. You can pick it up on Amazon for Kindle and Paperback. http://amzn.to/2ikaYRM


Thanks
Linus
D.L. Spitznogle

Hey everyone!

I just want to thank all of the readers out there, you guys are awesome. To those of you on Goodreads, I do see your reviews and I love them. Thank you all so much. As you all probably are aware, Decay: Humanity is available now at Amazon and Barnes and Noble. If you haven't already picked that up, please do. This is the sequel to Decay: Civilization, and it picks up just a few short weeks after the first book ended. I really hope everyone enjoys it as much as they did the first novel.



I am doing a little research now, and when I'm finished with that I will be starting on the third (and planned to be the final) book in the Decay: Series. Currently, the plans for the third book are incredibly exciting. I have recently completed the first and second drafts of a manuscript for a new novel that is not zombie related. I want to focus on traditional horror, and I feel this next novel will be a great transition for us all.  I have no idea when I will be releasing that novel, but I hope it's soon.

Thank you all again. Not just for reading my work, but for reading in general. You are all amazing!

- Linus Locke

I recently picked up some Goosebumps books for my kids to read. I haven't really thought about the series in quite some time (even with a movie on the way), so seeing them at the store brought back so many amazing memories.
Most authors like to credit Chaucer, Austen, Faulkner, or Dickens (among so many other literary masters) for sparking their interest in writing. And they certainly deserve the praise, as I too enjoy their work.
But when I saw these Goosebumps books on the store shelf, it all came rushing at me like a freight train. R.L Stine was a huge inspiration for me, and maybe one of the most important! I consumed Goosebumps books like a hungry animal. I remember starting the series over while waiting for the next one to come out. Some were scary, others were thrilling and adventurous. There was so much excitement and terror and wonder all at once. It was such an amazing feeling when my dad would take me to the bookstore to pick up another one, or when I would wait for my book order from school to come in so I could dig into the next book at recess.
It wasn't long after, I was still in elementary school, that, although I loved the Goosebumps books, I needed to go bigger and scarier. My Aunt was a big reader with stacks of Stephen King novels. While waiting for the next Goosebumps book to hit the store shelves I was right there in Derry, Maine or in the mountains for a quiet vacation at the Overlook.
All-in-all R.L Stine and his Goosebumps series poured gasoline on the fire that was my desire to write, taking it from a smoldering ember to a raging inferno. Thank you R.L Stine. You're truly inspirational.
Thank you all for reading!
Linus

It has been far too long since my last blog post. Things have been really hectic the past few months. I've recently changed the cover for Decay: Civilization, as you can see from the image, and you can buy the book with the new cover now. Just stop by your favorite distributor and pick it up, or check out my website, www.linuslocke.com to find out more.
I've completed the first draft of the Decay: Sequel. I set it aside for about a week, and now I'm working back through it to make changes and do a first round of editing. I do have a title for it, but I wont be releasing the name until I've picked a cover. I have a few different covers in mind, so I hope to have that figured out here in the next week or so. I still don't have a release date for the book, but I'll certainly be posting it when I know for sure.
I've also posted my short story, Rot: Island on my website for all to enjoy. You can read it absolutely free without a download, so please stop by and check it out: www.linuslocke.com/rot-island.html
I'll try to make time for more updates in the future. For now, thank you for reading, and have a great week!
Linus

Hello everyone,

Linus here with a quick opinion of the new Ninja Turtles movie (2014). I know, it has been out for a while now, you've read your favorite critic's reviews and seen it yourself, but I feel like I need to take the time to voice my own thoughts. I am a huge fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and I have been my entire life. I have tons of old action figures that I saved as a child. Plus, I have this really awesome wall clock that I've had as long as I can remember, literally, but none of my family can seem to remember getting for me.

With that being said, I held out for awhile when the new Ninja Turtles movie came out. I didn't see it right away because I felt it was going to suck and ruin my childhood. Some of my other friends hated it, and it received tons of mixed reviews. I sat down last night (on Christmas) and watched the movie with my kids. I really wanted to hate it, as I assumed it was going to be terrible.
In reality, I liked it. It wasn't as great as it could have been, but I don't see why I should hate it. It had the Ninja Turtles and some kick ass fights. The action held my interest, and Will Arnett's Vernon was a fun character, and I really didn't expect that. After all of the death threats I'm sure Michael Bay and the writing team received, they did a fine enough job with the back story, and even set up some interesting possibilities for the future.
The only real issues I had were with character design. I think the turtles were far too muscular, especially Raphael.  He is a freaking beast! They didn't need to be that muscular at all. Martial Arts isn't about size, and I think the turtles could have been smaller in that respect. However, I can see Raph being much larger than his brothers, as this Raph strikes me as the kind of guy who feels he needs to be muscular - if that makes sense. I guess what I'm trying to say is he feels that muscle equals power... maybe.
The shredder was kind of lame, too. I really don't like his suit, and it is sad when the original movies that came out in the early 90's, lacking the technology we have today, can make him look more menacing than he looks now. I do understand the creative decision to use CGI, as much as I don't really care for it. I feel that was the best way to pull off the fight scenes without live actors being restricted by heavy costumes and makeup. But on the other hand, I'm sure there are other ways around that. I also think that the movie did a good job nailing down the personalities of the turtles, and I like Donatello's glasses. I don't know why, but I think that was a fun touch.
Overall, the movie isn't bad, and it is worth watching. If you want the best possible Ninja Turtle experience, however, I would recommend just watching the TMNT movies from the 90's - minus TMNT 3...
And don't think that if you hate it it will ruin your childhood. The great memories of our childhoods will always be there, and the movies, shows, toys, and comics from our childhoods will always be the same. If you hate this movie, just put it behind you and remember what you loved when you first saw the turtles as a kid. After all, they are a group of ass kicking giant turtles. Don't take it too seriously and enjoy the experience.
Thanks for reading
Linus

I have recently changed a few things on my website. I came to the conclusion that the reviews I did of IT and Leprechaun Origins weren't really true reviews. I want to share my opinions more than review. So my Reviews page is now my Opinions page.
This will be a place where I can submit my opinions on the books, movies, music, games, and tech I enjoy. My opinions will, of course, house reviews, but I want to focus more on how these products make me feel.
Thanks for listening
Linus

There is quite of bit going around right now of a campaign called Shop Small. I think this is an amazing thing. Supporting the local economy should be a priority for everyone. For anyone not familiar with Shop Small, it is a campaign that encourages shoppers to shop at the local stores instead of the big box stores just for one day. Shop Small Saturday. I know it is now Cyber Monday, but shoppers can continue to shop small throughout the year.

I would also like to add that you can shop small by supporting indie authors, film makers, musicians and artists. By supporting musicians such as Dallas Hendrix, and authors such as myself, shoppers are helping the small, independent content creators that are producing great work for the world to enjoy.

Thanks for listening
Linus

It's nothing new... The pics that make their rounds on Facebook that say, "Share this and God will do you a favor!" Really? Fucking really? All we need to do is tell those starving kids in other countries to check their damn Facebook pages once in a while so they can get in on that! Really?

Do people really think that God is so concerned with their Facebook pages that he is going to do them a favor if they share an image some stupid asshole made to get more likes? Why do people do that shit? I hope people don't truly believe that. I really hope people aren't that stupid. If someone makes a pic of something you agree with than share the hell out of it, but don't share something just because you think God will hook you up with free shit.

And I hate when assholes add, "99% of people are too scared to repost this." What the shit? I agreed with the image's message, I would repost it, but now that your stupid ass added that last line I'm not sharing it because I don't want to look like a stupid asshole.

Thanks for listening to another pointless rant
- Linus

P.S
Like my Facebook page and God will probably or probably not continue to do whatever he was going to do today regardless of whether or not you liked my Facebook page. 99% of you are too scared anyway.
Linus Locke on Facebook

Last night I had the opportunity to sit down and watch Leprechaun Origins featuring WWE's Dylan "Hornswoggle" Postl as the Leprechaun. I'm going to be honest, when I first heard that WWE was making a new Leprechaun film and Hornswoggle was going to be playing the title character, I was thrilled. I'm not really a WWE fan. I do enjoy watching it from time to time, but I don't have the time to invest in watching it. I do know that Hornswoggle is a fun character to watch (or at least he was... I'm not sure if he is still doing much with WWE), so it makes sense to me that he would be a blast as the Leprechaun.

Anyway, I am a big fan of the Leprechaun franchise. It is silly, gory, and fun to watch. Plus, it doesn't take itself too seriously.Warwick Davis is amazing. He is such a charming actor in any role he plays. We should all know the story to the Leprechaun movies by now, but allow me to recap briefly. A Leprechaun, played by Warwick Davis, kills anyone who takes his gold, and most of the deaths are fun and creative. And that's about it. No really, that is about it, but trust me, the movies are fun to watch. I would recommend picking up the whole Leprechaun set from Amazon.

To start off my review of Leprechaun Origins I will say that there will be spoilers, so if you don't want to to know the details but you are still interested in my overall opinion than jump to the bottom of the review.

The film starts off with a young couple running away from what we can only assume is the Leprechaun. We don't see him, but he is snarling and growling. It sounds pretty badass, so I'm instantly pumped about the inevitable reveal. The couple is killed off quickly, and the movie starts with us meeting the main characters.

As far as the characters go, I'm glad they went with relatively unknown actors. I strongly believe that there is so much talent out there that we miss out on because Hollywood wants big names in everything. I only recognized one actor (and that doesn't mean much as I may just miss the movies the others are in), and that is Brendan Fletcher from Freddy Vs. Jason.  Leprechaun Origins also features, Stephanie Bennett, Andrew Dunbar, and Melissa Roxburgh. After looking into the other actors, I do recall some of the other films and TV shows they have been in. I will stand by my statement that they are relatively unknown just because they are not A list.

Now really speaking about the characters, I don't know any of their names. I never felt invested enough in the characters to really care what their names were. Honestly I spent the whole time focusing on the Leprechaun (which you will find out is pretty sad). The actors did great, however. I always felt convinced by their performances, but I can't get over not knowing their names. There was Freddy Vs. Jason Guy, Other Guy, Freddy Vs. Jason Guy's Girlfriend, Other Guy's Girlfriend, Big Irish Guy, and Normal Sized Irish Guy.... and Leprechaun was in there somewhere.

That's right. He was in there somewhere. In the original Leprechaun moves, the Leprechaun was center stage. He was constantly talking, making us laugh right before making us cringe. Warwick Davis' Leprechaun was so much fun. Hornswoggle has to be just as fun, right? NO! we hardly ever see him. He is a little monster who never talks. Anytime he is on the screen everything is blurry. The special effects for the Leprechaun are terrible, or maybe they aren't. I don't know because we hardly get a really good look at him. THEY HAD HORNSWOGGLE AND DIDN'T USE HIM!!! I was so disappointed by this.

Anyway, our group is visiting Ireland when they come across a small village. While in the pub, they meet Big Irish Guy. He is a pretty pleasant guy, and I could have been convinced that he was innocent. As a horror movie fan, I trust nobody. He tells our group about some of the village's history, and offers to let them sleep in a cabin he owns so they can set out on a hike in the morning. His son, Normal Sized Irish Guy, shows up to give them a ride. Without the group knowing, the are locked in the cabin by the two Irishmen, and that is when the Leprechaun shows up. The death scenes were primitive. That's not really bad, but I was expecting more creative ways for people to die. There was no pogo stick deaths, no stomachs-full-of-gold deaths. Just people dying. As it turns out, the village knows about the Leprechaun, and they feed people to him to protect their village. It gives the story a lot of potential, but I feel like they didn't use it to their advantage as a Leprechaun film.

In short, the movie, as a Leprechaun movie, gets a 1 out of 5 from me. It was not at all what I was expecting. The acting was good, the writing was good, the directing was good, the atmosphere was good, but it just wasn't a Leprechaun movie like it sold itself to be.

I also looked at this movie as its own movie. I took the Leprechaun name off and just watched it for what it is, and if you can also do that then I give this movie a 2.97 out of 5 (not quite a 3). After all, the acting, writing, directing, and atmosphere were all good. It was a pretty fun movie to watch, and I recommend it as a rental.

I know this doesn't come as a shock to anyone, but I wanted to take a second to talk about cellphones. I am a big fan of technology. I hold a degree in Computer Science, and I love where we are going with smartphones. With that being said, I can leave my phone at home and not think twice about it. Don't take that the wrong way. I use my phone way more than I need to also, but I'm not attached to it so much that I need to have it all the time.

Where am I going with this? Well I went to pick my kids up from school the other day and noticed that all of the other parents had their phones. Mine, of course, was in my pocket. Other parents had their phones in their hands. The phones weren't in use, and these people had pockets or bags that the phones could have been in. Instead, they all held their phones, gripping them tightly in their hands. I realized at this time that we are moving past the point where we need to be connected all the time and moving towards a point where technology is just a security blanket. I can only formulate the theory that these parents were comforted by their phones. Even when they are not in use, they had to hold them. This physical contact made them feel safe or perhaps grounded. I can't be certain, but I'm sure I'm close. I am putting together my first VLOG where I am going to mention this briefly.

I know this isn't a groundbreaking revelation by any means. We have all seen it. And it isn't just young people. Some of these were grandparents who couldn't put their phones down long enough to even take the hands of the children they were there for. I know plenty of older people who complain about the "younger folk" always having their phones, but I do see plenty of "older folk" who can't put their phones down either. As a techie, I really hope to see us break this stigma that we all have to have our phones. I also hope that we can turn away from the theoretical course I've described and break free of tech and connectivity and this security blanket that people are wrapping themselves in.

Technology is awesome! I love tech, but we need to control it without allowing it to control us.

Thanks for listening to another pointless rant.

-Linus