These are not in order but here you go!

Cry Baby ~ Melanie Martinez/ Fave song: Either: Milk and Cookies or Alphabet Boy

The Search ~ NF/ Fave song: Only

Perception ~ NF/ Fave song: You're Special

Dear Agony ~ Breaking Benjamin/ Fave Song: I will no bow

Phobia ~ Breaking Benjamin/ Fave song: Either: You or The Diary of Jane

Killing All that Holds You ~ 10 Years/ Fave song: Wasteland

One More Light ~ Linkin Park/ Fave Song: One More Light & Sharp Edges

The Lost Book of Fantasy ~ Peter Gundry/ Fave sing: Lament of the Shadow Elves

X ~ Ed Sheeran/ Fave song: Photograph

The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack/ Fave song: All of the Stars ~ Ed Sheeran

The hunter in the tangled thicket looked out through bloodshot eyes at the forest clearing before he ran toward his prey. He felt his anger boiling up from his cauldron of festering rage. Why did his father dislike him so much that his only childhood memories were of beatings and scathing remarks? He still had the scars that his father had inflicted. Even his mother hadn’t wanted him. Sometimes, she even sent him to bed without supper for no reason at all. Now that he was no longer a child, he could finally get back at all those who had caused him grief. His world was a dark, foreboding place as he tried to keep his escalating insanity in check.

A young woman was kneeling on the yellowed grass in the open space, picking wild strawberries and humming a little melody. Why should she be happy when he was so miserable? He took careful aim with his rifle, imagining she was a rabbit, and shot her in the back. She moaned as she flailed her limbs, trying to survive as she gasped her last breath.

The huntsman smiled to himself as he pondered his name, Chase. It was such an appropriate name for one who preyed on others. Running over to his young victim, he prodded her with his rifle but she didn’t budge. He wiped the saliva from his toothless mouth, slung her over his back, and headed back into the forest to the little dingy cabin where he lived.

“Ma! Pa!” he yelled, still trying to attain their approval after all this time. “Here’s another one for the barbie! Stoke up the grill!”

Here we are, in the beginning of the early Fall, where leaves will change into a pantheon of colors. And where, before you know it, there will be that tap-tap-tap at your door where you open it to see all the kids dressed in their favorite costumes hoping to get a ton of goodies on Halloween night.

So, let me present a pre-Halloween goodie for you in the form of one Roses311Sublime.

An avid writer, mostly spiritual work but he has branched out to other avenues. He has a sincere interest in doing voiceovers and even can do voice impersonations. As you will read, he is a family man and very devoted to the Word of Scripture. But he has many talents, so I strongly urge you to read his work he has left here on Prose.

And don’t forget, I’m coming your way to knock on your door to be a part of Roundtable Wednesday. Look for me—cause I’m coming for you!

Now, let us begin …

&&&&&&&&

Can you shed some light about yourself that other people here can get a feel for who you are?

I am a dude that is approaching middle age, but at the same time don’t feel mature enough to be a grown up. Through the good, bad, and ugly, I am grateful to God for the blessings and challenges He has put in my life. I have a wife and three kids that inspire me to be the best version of myself that I can be. I am an aspiring actor, and someday I hope for you to hear my voice in your favorite video games and cartoons. I live in the suburbs near a big city, and that works for me because I love that kind of environment.

I did a lot of writing in high school for my school’s newspaper and literary magazine back in the 90s. I started college with the intention of majoring in creative writing or journalism, but ultimately decided to get a teaching degree in Elementary Education. I continued writing for the college newspaper till my sophomore year, then only wrote on and off for years after that. When the pandemic hit and we started quarantining around March 2020, I joined an online church community through the Crossroads Anywhere app. I read Bible journals written by members of the community, and I became so inspired by them that I also wanted to try writing some journals in the hope that what I write could hopefully help someone in the same way that the other writers were helping me. So I began actively writing Bible journals in April 2020 on the Crossroads Anywhere app (and still do). My hope is that my Bible journals point to God as the One who is blessing my life, and I also write them as a way to document my faith journey and progress towards my goal of being a person that is a blessing to others.

Fiction is a genre that has also inspired me my whole life. I love storytelling that showcases cool characters who inspire courage, strength, and the drive to be the best they can be. I enjoy these stories in books, comics, video games, animation, and movies.

Voice actors that bring these stories to life are one of my major inspirations for wanting to be a voice actor - I want to contribute to art that inspires people, just like the many that have inspired me. In August 2020, I began writing Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories that continue a plotline that I had started in a short story that was initially published in my high school’s literary magazine in 1998. Together these short stories tell a longer tale that explores a conflict between the hero from my high school story that has grown up and formed a hero organization, and a villain that used to admire that hero, but now blames him for an unwanted transformation, now seeking to eliminate his former idol’s network and replace it with his own group of “heroes.”

Whew, that was a lot of backstory.... thanks for hanging in there, folks!

Writer’s write, it’s what we do, but what do you see as your strong point, or motivation to write?

I initially started writing on a regular basis in April 2020 in order to keep my mind thinking creatively while being benched from work due to the quarantine. This is definitely still a motivator, but I see writing as a much more essential feature of my life. I love creating something that can potentially outlast my own existence, and I want my writing to be there for anyone that needs or wants it for what I hope brings inspiration and fun storytelling. Besides being a great hobby, I have found that writing incorporates perfectly in other aspects of my life, including but not limited to communication and creativity at work.

The very first thing you ever wrote, if you remember it, how did it come about?

I believe it was some kind of paper in high school, and I forgot the subject. But I remember my older sister suggesting that I incorporate humor into it so the teacher would enjoy reading it. This is likely when I originally fell for writing.

Who are your favorite authors and please; give us a few names?

I really enjoyed reading the Goosebumps and Fear Street books by R.L. Stine as a kid, and Spider-Man from the one and only Stan Lee has been a lifelong favorite. I read Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling for the first time in college, and that series made me fall in love with reading for fun again. It took me a while, but I enjoyed the journey that J. R. R. Tolkien took me on with The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings trilogy. Some Christian authors I enjoy that have inspired my Bible Journals include Brian Tome, Rick Warren, John Fischer, Our Daily Bread Ministries and Dwight Clough.

Independent author Erin Kelly is a close friend of our family, and she has written the Tainted Moonlight series, which explores werewolves in a modern urban setting. The series is a great mix of supernatural, suspense, horror, and romance, and I highly recommend it.

Her website is https://taintedmoonlightbook.com/

Erin’s writing has inspired me to support, read and enjoy stories from independent authors that I have met at anime/comic conventions. A few of these authors that I recommend include:

Supernatural/horror author J.S. Bailey

(https://www.jsbaileywrites.com/)

Fantasy author Lauren Jankowski

(https://www.laurenjankowski.com/)

Fiction author Rachel E. Kelly

(https://www.colorworldbooks.com/)

I am also an avid reader of comic strips and manga (which has inspired my spinoff storyline “New Adventurers: Enter The Pirate & Crew!”). A few authors from these genres that I enjoy are Alex Saviuk, Jules Rivera, Tony DePaul, Kohei Horikoshi, Eiichiro Oda, Gege Akutami, Akira Toriyama, Koyoharu Gotouge and Haruichi Furudate.

Any favorite songs/artists you listen to that set a tone for you when writing?

I enjoy all kinds of music, but lately anime intros/outros and songs from video games have been pumping me up for writing, especially for writing Sci-Fi/Fantasy stories. Here are a few of my current favorites:

LiSA - Gurenge (https://youtu.be/_IkopJwRDKU)

Asian Kung-Fu Generation - After Dark (https://youtu.be/OvahxFH7IGg)

Doomsday Trance (https://youtu.be/Ze-6tgL_aTk)

BLUE ENCOUNT - Polaris (https://youtu.be/-t5--PiJsWo)

BONNIE PINK - Ring A Bell (https://youtu.be/lCsNVud0tUM)

Kankaku Piero - HIBANA (https://youtu.be/XrHbTB_M6tQ)

Masami Okui - S H U F L E (https://youtu.be/7xzNrzaqFiA)

CHiCO with HoneyWorks - Kessen Spirit (https://youtu.be/fblEmRsN-bs)

Do you have any literary work on tap for publication, or have you been published?

In a professional sense no, but if the opportunity came I would be interested. However, some of my short stories on Prose can also be found on Reedsy Prompts. My Bible Journals can be found on the Crossroads Anywhere app. I am posting audio versions of my writing on Audiomack.

I also have two ongoing Prose books available at these links:

“The Ultimate Hero Network? A Short Story Collection” https://theprose.com/book/3184/the-ultimate-hero-network-a-short-story-collection

“New Adventurers: Enter The Pirate & Crew!”

https://theprose.com/book/3137/new-adventurers-enter-the-pirate-crew

Is there any one particular book you have read you would recommend others to read?

The My Hero Academia manga series by Kohei Horikoshi. The series has very memorable characters, thrilling action, and even motivational moments.

When you aren’t writing, what do you do that pays the bills?

I am a Pre-K teacher at a private school. I am also doing acting work on the side to get experience towards my goal of becoming a voice actor. I just started my seasonal acting job at a haunted house attraction, which I have been doing since 2015. I joined a murder mystery theater troupe back in 2019, but was only able to do one show before everything shut down from Covid. Once this haunt season ends, I want to try and get involved with the troupe again.

What is one thing you do you give your all to?

Analyzing my actions, and trying to learn from my mistakes in order to do better in the future.

Why did you join Prose and how long have you been a Proser?

I believe I joined Prose around August 2020. I read an article from The Write Life where Prose was one of the sites recommended for writing contests:

(https://thewritelife.com/writing-contests/)

After entering a short story in a challenge I explored the site and found myself really liking the format. So I began posting my Bible Journals and short stories here, and I also enjoy entering challenges for writing styles that I don’t normally do. I also enjoy reading the awesome literature from writers like you, and for those of you reading this too!

When you hear the term “less is more” … what is the first thing that comes to mind?

Don’t overcomplicate things, sometimes starting small is better.

Are there places as far as social media accounts, perhaps your own website you would like Proser’s to be aware of where you can be found?

It is a work in progress, but I have started recording some of my writing into audio versions in an effort to get some voice acting practice/experience in. You can listen to my efforts for free here:

https://audiomack.com/roses311sublime

Favorite hobbies?

Anime/comics, gaming, meeting actors, independent authors and artists at anime/comic conventions, music, reading, and of course, writing!

What is the single most thing you like?

God trusting me with the responsibility of fatherhood.

What one thing do you really dislike?

I struggle with anxiety. I’ve gotten better, but it can be frustrating.

With Covid surrounding us, what advice would you want to share with people?

Our thoughts on Covid may vary, but in the end we all have to face it. As much as you can, be kind, gentle, and patient to each other. If you can do something new during this time, I definitely recommend that too (picking up writing again was my new thing).

If you could offer up one piece of advice for other writer’s, what would it be?

Write, even if you’re not feeling it. If I only wrote when I wanted to, I would probably never write. Once I get started on a piece though, the motivation comes. Prose is a great resource to use to build your writing by sharing your work, and utilizing the challenges to try new styles and genres.

Lastly, your favorite quote?

“We’re basically developing at this point,

and we don’t know the limits of our potential.

Even if we felt those limits we would still keep aiming higher.”

- Daichi Sawamura, Haikyu!! (Haruichi Furudate)

&&&&&&&&&&

Thank you for taking a turn at this Roses311Sublime. It was great of you to allow all of us the chance to sneak a peek into your life.

Now, as always, no one ever knows what I shall pick out to highlight to finish off Roundtable Wednesday, and honestly, half the time, I don’t know either until I get to one that trips my trigger so to speak—such as this one:

A Beautiful Mom

My world changed when you came into my life.

Not only did you gain my heart, but your almost two year old daughter did too.

We became a family, and I cherish those memories.

You gave me two more sons, and our beautiful family expanded.

Our kids are growing too fast, yet I’ll cherish the days that they are close by.

They are our legacy, our greatest accomplishments, and yet their lives belong to them.

They will forge destinies of their own, maybe become a mom or dad someday too.

All of this was possible, thanks to you.

Thanks for making me a dad, it is all because

you’re a beautiful mom.

*For my wife*

As I was walking down the street the other day, I noticed the following sentence written on the sidewalk in big white block letters:

LOVE IS A VERB.

That made me smile and think yes, yes it is.

Yes, it is also a noun: deep affection. But, for that phrase to actually have more substance than the breath you expel upon saying I love you, there must be actions to give it weight. To give it meaning. Love cannot live in words alone if they are not to fade away to nothingness, or worse, twist and rot in the absence of actions or in the face of actions that put lie to the words.

What those actions might be, that demonstrate that love, are myriad and multitudinous...and quite personal to each individual.

For me, it is bear hugs. It's the words said every day, multiple times a day. It is standing on the porch waving as a loved one drives away. It's baking someone's favorite dessert, preparing homecooked meals. It's listening, accepting those you love as they are while encouraging them, supporting them to be their best selves. It's compromising. It's remembering things that are important to your loved one. Doing things for and with your loved one.

Sometimes it's sacrificing - time, energy, money, sleep for your loved one.

Nurtured, it will grow and strengthen. Blossom. Evolve.

Limited to words belied by actions - or inaction, it ceases to be love.

I am feeling so much better. I have work today then I have a short essay Assignment I'll have to work on. Let's be real though, it's not going to be short.

Actually, my English professor (I love her, she's amazing) read part of my book and was very encouraging!

Speaking of my book, I am very excited to announce that my book as of yesterday, is now available as a hardcover on Amazon! I am not sure what time it became available as a hardcover, I know I selected it to be an option yesterday though. Eventually, I went to bed and when I woke up, it was a hardback!

Also, I will be doing a youtube video sooner or later on how to publish a book on KDP, I just have to have a new book to publish first. So for sure let me know if you want the link for that, I may do another collection of short stories just so I can do it faster.

Today was a bit of a rollercoaster though.