Voodoo

So if you've read Between Death and Heaven, or The Swamp is Full of Mystery or Child of Destiny or even Requiscant in Pace then you know that I weave a bit of voodoo in there. If you haven't well you can just cop TSIFOM right here on the site for free and get a taste. Now you might not know too much about the loa or Papa Legba and you might wonder if maybe I'm some godless pagan who believes in evil spirits.

I wouldn't call that an accurate description of me but I do firmly believe there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy people. The world is huge and so much exists; there is so much to learn and I like to learn it ALL! 

As with many of my favourite things, I first came across voodoo when I was young and impressionable, watching movies about slaves, and horror movies about people using voodoo dolls that I was probably too young to watch. Thankfully Parental Advisory wasn't such a thing then.

So my first brush with voodoo was a scary ass looking witch using a voodoo doll to kill some guy because he did...something to her. Can't remember what. I do remember that the concept of voodoo dolls being used to kill people kept me up at night. Why anyone could just, like, make a voodoo doll of me and kill me, dead!

Then of course there was +Anne Rice with her fixation on New Orleans which she infected me with. When I read Merrick and she introduced me to Papa Legba I had to go out and learn anything and everything I could about him. Turns out he's quite the character; the gatekeeper of the afterlife; some people equate him to St. Peter which was just fascinating to me. The way people intermingle religions. The belief originated in West Africa and I guess when the missionaries came, the practitioners just integrated this new knowledge into their own original beliefs.
So exciting.
My interest was exacerbated when the loa appeared in the most unexpected place; #SpoilerAlert Diana Gabaldon's Voyager which is like book three in the Outlander Series.And the loa enabled Claire and Jamie to communicate with their daughter Brianna who was in another time. It fascinated me because did it mean the loa not only communicate with the dead; but also with the not yet born?
So fun.
Yeah you caught me; I'm a geek.

Of course Papa Legba isn't the only loa out there. I just read a fan fiction where +Jared Padalecki was a voodoo priest and it introduced me to some new ones; Chango, Ezili as well as others I've encountered before; Ghede and Ogun both featured in Voyager I think.
I don't still really know what loas really are. Are they evil spirits or even spirits at all? The Ancestors, the Saints? It's on that long list I have of 'things to learn more about'.
When the concept of Mya came to me, she already came full with a voodoo history. I wonder sometimes which came first, was this character already fully fledged, waiting to be born? Or was there a girl in a small town who I dressed up as a voodoo priestess/witch because of my fascination with the subject? Will I even really ever know?

Mya

I know that putting the setting in the early nineties was a product of my nostalgia. Why is it that the nineties seem like this idyllic time? I don't really know.

However I've been thinking about doing more outtakes; backstories of random characters in the stories. Expanding the character while flexing my writing muscle before I go back full time to finishing Marcus Devereux. Hey if you have any requests feel free to contact me however is convenient for you and let me know.

Free Your Mind!

I finally finished that project; and I did it well too. *Pats own back* (Hey if I don't do it who will?).
I've just had the most gratifying exchange with my son's 'fam' - that's what he calls us; me, his dad and his stepmom - which makes me have hope for humanity. I asked her to buy something for Chris because doing the budget in my head, I was feeling like I might come up short. And she agreed because, hey, what else she gonna do? Well then after that, I said thank you; and then my son said thank you and then his dad said thank you. And she sent the smile emoji with you're welcome. We've come such a long way I can't even tell you. When my son was conceived I was of the belief that he was a totally special being and his life so far just validates this belief. I don't really know anyone else irl who manages the 'modern family' dynamic as well as we do.
Speaking of family, I'm really concerned about Syria. Are you concerned about Syria. I mean, that kid...Omran Daqneesh have you seen him? He makes my heart hurt. I want to reach through the screen and pick him up and bring him home, clean him up, tend his wounds and just let him know everything is going to be alright.
But it isn't is it?

I've been watching Syria since the war began, praying for somebody to do something; feeling helpless to help. It reminded me of when I was growing up in the eighties and every day on the news, there was another story about kids being shot, being burned alive, people oppressed in South Africa. And it filled me with the same feeling of helplessness.
What is it that is so important? What is it that is so vital that it's worth destroying lives like this? I mean look at that kid! He's five years old. Which means he doesn't know what it means to live in peace time. All he knows is bombs and conflict. I really feel like I need antidepressants just thinking about it.
+Alicia Keys shared a pic of Omran and told us that we can help by contributing to 'War Child' which I suppose is a charity. But on the news, you see that humanitarian aid isn't getting into Aleppo. Nobody is allowed to get in. So I'm kind of really hoping that this 'War Child' charity isn't using poor little Omran's image to raise money for themselves. Please don't do that. Don't profit from this. And if you're really helping these children then show us how. Show the chain of custody from my contribution to Omran.

Speaking of racism, did you read that article about +CLINT EASTWOOD and his son +Scott Eastwood  which was generally about how life used to be so much better 'then' than 'now'? Oh and what a suck up Scott Eastwood is? It was an interesting read; he tried to explain the whole talking to a chair thing. He was all like this generation is full of pussies who get offended at everything and don't want to work hard. Now I can relate to his rhetoric because he's my father's age and I've heard the same sort of thing from him as well. You people are not as good as us. I even think I've said the same thing to my son - I hope not - but I probably have.
The thing that I'd like to maybe look at, is his assertion that 'in his day' saying 'things' wasn't considered as racist. In answer to this question;

Your characters have become touchstones in the culture, whether it's Reagan invoking "Make my day" or now Trump … I swear he's even practiced your scowl.

He said:

Maybe. But he's onto something, because secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness, kissing up. That's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now. We're really in a pussy generation. Everybody's walking on eggshells. We see people accusing people of being racist and all kinds of stuff. When I grew up, those things weren't called racist. And then when I did Gran Torino,even my associate said, "This is a really good script, but it's politically incorrect." And I said, "Good. Let me read it tonight." The next morning, I came in and I threw it on his desk and I said, "We're starting this immediately."

 Now Clint Eastwood is about a hundred I know, much older than Muhammad Ali, but let me just him counter this drivel about 'When I grew up' because it's easy for the straight white man to say this, but what about the not-white man living in the same time?

Muhammad Ali also didn't have time for 'political correctness'  but his view of 'the good old days' certainly differ drastically from Eastwood's. Maybe Clint needs to get his head out of his ass and realize that it's not all about him and the people that look like him.
As for Scott Eastwood, also known as 'the entitled legacy' and mistakenly identified as the target of +Dwayne Johnson's rant about candy asses. Turned out it was actually +Vin Diesel. Now I'm sorry, I don't care if you're a producer or that maybe your company is financing the whole entire movie...Vin Diesel is the heart of the Fast series, and nobody gets to call him names. Not even the Rock. #TeamVin
I always felt like Dwayne was always 'on' you know? Like I don't think anyone has ever even seen his real smile. He makes me uncomfortable.
You know what else makes me uncomfortable? Y'all not visiting my book pages.
Go here...and here...now.
Thanks.
Bye.

Intermission

Sorry I've been away for a bit. Real life was trying to kick my ass. Still is but I thought I'd at least attempt to post proof of life.
Hi!

What have you been reading? I have in my possession a copy of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child imagine, but I haven't managed to get past page three. Unfortunately before I began to read the novel, I read the reviews...
Maaan.
They were not good.
They basically said, 'go ahead and read it, but know that it's fan fiction and not JK's work'.
I mean...
Why would I pay thirteen dollars for fan fiction when I can read all I want for free on Archive of Our Own? Like why?
Apart from the reviews though, the embargo on talking bad about it remains so I will not say more on the subject. Just...I couldn't get past page three is all I'm sayin'.

This is the month of death which means we have three makumbushos (memorials); my cousin, my grandmother and my father. I feel very detached from the whole shebang of memorials, probably because it's all moving too fast for me. I'm not there yet. I just want to sit, by myself, and be at peace and not bother with anything. I don't want to deal with family. I don't want to deal with death. I just want to be.

It's a very selfish attitude and I'm not a selfish person so it's difficult for me to sustain; but I'm gonna do it. I'm going to look out for me first. Just this once. Or maybe I'll make it a habit. I don't know yet. Stay tuned.

What Would Rihanna Do?

Meanwhile I have a whole post I need to write about +Clint Eastwood and his support of Trump and other interesting things that I've observed recently. It's epic I tell you; and I just need to free enough brain cells by finishing these last two chapters of my latest project. I'm not really into it so it's taking a gargantuan amount of energy to do so. Pray for me; I'm unsettled.
Oh, funny thing that happened to me today; I realised a very close relative of mine stopped following me on social media...Now I haven't done anything to this person so it's kind of surprising/funny/couldn't really care less but it's also giving me an insight into the mind behind the person. I must say I'm not impressed. Relatives are weird.
I'm gonna go home now and let my dog stalk me.