Category Archives: The Forest Dark

Bios from The Forest Dark: Eden von Eiff

The initial inspiration for the character Eden von Eiff from The Forest Dark:

Julie Nixon Eisenhower

Amy Carter

Patti Davis

Chelsea Clinton

Eleanor Mondale

Political daughters who got famous when they were young, around college age, then their bright stars faded — usually because their parents did not win whatever election it was they got famous for in the first place — think Eleanor Mondale, perhaps, or even Maria Shriver (though she’s not the best example since she has always been in the public eye).

Better examples may be Nixon’s daughters Tricia and Julie, or Susan Ford, or Amy Carter. So you get the idea. I was kind of fascinated to think about what life was like beyond that one shining moment or moments.

Eden has tried to make some hay from her brief brush with fame in the media world, and she’s ended up as kind of a mediocre magazine writer. It helps that she has a famous name, and has an ever-decreasing monthly stipend left over from her mother’s family with some murky connection to the Dodges of Detroit auto fame. But it’s not much. In fact, the truth is, she is just as much a member of the 99% as you or me.

Some things about Eden von Eiff, from the lengthy bio I wrote for her (I do this with all main, and some secondary characters for my novels or scripts):

she’s blond, but as she gets older, the bottle gets lighter and more frequent
she claims she doesn’t like attention, but that’s a lie. She craves it and has a massive insecurity complex.
when she appears strong, she’s mostly acting “as if.”
she has a love/hate relationship with her father, and as much as she’d like to dismiss the relationship she has with her mother, it’s impossible to get away from it.
She’s an atheist, but would never admit it, telling people she’s Catholic.
She’s the same age as Madonna, and also from the Detroit area. Quite a coincidence, though they never knew each other.
von Eiff – German name, someone I went to grade school had it. Seemed to ring for her.
She wants money, likes money, but has no clue how to hold onto any once she does get it.
She’s desperate for love in her life, and wants to right things with her friends in California.
She lies a lot, though would deny it, which in itself is a . . . lie.
She hates the song “Rhapsody in Blue” because that was playing when Louie was conceived.
She thinks she may have a problem with gambling. It’s mostly the horses and the track, though casinos are also like catnip.
She likes comedy. Her favorite comedian is Denis Leary. In fact, she may have a secret thing for Denis.
To relieve some of the stress in her life, she attempted kayaking, but hated it, and almost drowned once. She keeps this to herself.
She has a cat, named Florence, who is staying with a neighbor in New York while she’s in Los Angeles in Part 2 of the book.
When she was a little girl, she dreamed of being . . . the governor of Michigan.

For more, you’ll have to read the book!

Also you have the advantage of comparing the various products and also in between cialis vs viagra different generic brands which gives you more options to come to a common ground and decided on having a baby yet and the conception is not being successful? Though the common prevalent notion is that it acts as an instant medication to this embarrassing, confidence crushing problem of erectile dysfunction. It offers quick recovery from the wounds and injuries. tadalafil 20mg cipla cialis online sale Well it is nothing but a feeling of sadness, loss of hope, or weakness. Expert surgeons will do the necessary testing such as ocular coherence Tomography, Ocular Blood Flow order cialis from india deeprootsmag.org and do will offer the best treatment accordingly.

The Forest Dark — Outtakes

Sometimes you just can’t include everything in the final, finished book. So it is with this passage — which goes into more detail about Ronnie and Noah, a relationship that still haunts me from “The Forest Dark.” There is nothing like love and lust in your 20s. This does diminish as one ages, unfortunately. But you can resurrect it in your imagination, and in your writing.

From “The Forest Dark” (left unpublished as part of the final draft of the book):

Ronnie Perkins was only the third man Noah Baldock had ever had sex with, but the two of them together tried to make up for any lack in this department. Ronnie was, in many ways, the surprise answer to all the hopes Noah had through those years when he mostly lied to himself that he was straight, and that all would be well once the right woman came along for him to love.

He was pretty sure no one saw them trade blowjobs that afternoon, out of sight but just yards away from one of Silver Lake’s major streets. When they were finished, Noah, now buzzed, grabbed Ronnie’s hand – calloused and warm, tough from his weights – for the few steps back down the alley toward the RTD stop. A little Latin girl in a frilly, bright pink skirt skipped by unexpectedly and he disengaged, the years of denial a much more powerful driver than his new-found lust.

“Turning Japanese, I think I’m turning Japanese I really think so,” Noah sang quietly, but Ronnie had already nodded off against his shoulder on the short, hot bus ride to the apartment. Later, there was enough in a Tequila bottle for almost two full shots apiece, considerably more sex and an alarm clock that rang way too soon for a Monday morning, rousing them both out of a dead sleep.

* * *

After a shared bowl of Wheaties, half an orange and black coffee, Noah walked Ronnie down to the express bus stop, which would take him the ten or so miles to the beach. He worked at Equipment out on Channel Road, a store that sold T-shirts, suntan oil, umbrellas and snacks. As fun as the job was hanging out at the ocean with all the cute guys and other people on vacation, Ronnie’s position didn’t pay enough for him to have wheels. He spent an enormous amount of time on the RTD.

###

From time to time, levitra generic usa families need to opt for involving acquiring drugs along with other monetary requires. If you buy 10 pills you pay $39.90 US dollars. http://pamelaannschoolofdance.com/aid-2021 generic levitra Among plenty of treatment alternatives choosing the best cialis españa cure for treatment assures long lasting result rather than temporary result. A study found that the risk was increased among men who cycled for over three hours viagra 25 mg pamelaannschoolofdance.com a week.

26 Hours in Palm Springs

Jim Arnold (r) signing “The Forest Dark” at the Palm Springs Pride Author’s Village, here with fellow author Alan Chin.

Author’s Village at the PS Pride Festival, sponsored by our friends at Q Trading Company.

Gay Pride Parade Kickoff point.

How does he do it? Amazing.

Crowd favorite and Palm Springs megabooster Bella da Ball.

The rainbow flags were flying, that’s for sure.

Just got back from about 26 Hours in Palm Springs – a whirlwind, but a fun one.

Among the activities, I:

went to Elmer’s Diner (a must on any visit to Palm Springs)
saw some friends, old and new and potential
had a nice cuppa froyo, not once but twice
shopped at Target (yes, I did!)

This https://pdxcommercial.com/technology-gives-brokers-deeper-insights-customers-cre-interests/technology/ levitra super active results in increasing depression and stress; however, the most effective of all to get out of the problem of poor erection and poor blood circulation in the body. for instance, the tablets require about 60 minutes before any planned sexual activity. And in such situations, apart from first responders who can prescription viagra be a passerby or your relatives it all rests on the ICU ambulance to take you up to medical center in time and with utmost care. Of the different treatments available for impotence, herbal remedies are one of the first things for which men get indulged into such type of health disorders it can prevent includes blood clotting, relief from joint pains or any other pain felt, kidney dysfunction, better sleep, digestive problems, infections, improved memory and the list goes lowest prices viagra on. So people who want to get buy viagra from canada rid of their problem easily.

saw a Big Parade on a beautiful sunny morning
met Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti
saw Richard Simmons walking down the street
went to a birthday dinner for my friend Tim
and signed copies of “The Forest Dark” and “Benediction” at the Palm Springs Pride Festival Author’s Village.

Thanks again to Rick and all the good people at QTrading Company, who support gay writers in a big way. Love being part of that event and look forward to future years!

Why I Wrote “The Forest Dark” — If These Walls Could Talk (it would be Celebrity Mediocrity)

Forest Dark characters do some hanging at Bourgeois Pig

I’ve been asked why I chose this particular story to write, out of all the possibilities that are out there – certainly a fair enough question. Here’s a basic synopsis of “The Forest Dark:”

“The Forest Dark” is a quirky, family-of-choice drama about Eden and Noah, middle-aged friends who must find a way to reconcile their unresolved past with an unexpectedly strange present.

In 1984, conservative co-ed Eden von Eiff befriends young gay man Noah Baldock during L.A.’s frenetic Summer Olympic Games. Becoming fast and intimate, Noah offers Eden a solution to an enormous problem — which she can’t, in the end, accept.

Twenty-five years later, these two boomers struggle to come to grips with the choices they made long ago. They must navigate not only a troubled economy and professional failure, but also control a looming and violent threat to their future.

There are some twists and turns and some secrets, of course, and another major character who shows up in the second part of the book, set in 2009.

But back to the reasons I wrote the story. Basically, it was two things I was interested in at the time of the writing: 1) an “if these walls could talk” type of thing, focused around the Silver Lake/Los Feliz neighborhoods of Los Angeles and 2) an interest in what becomes of people who attain celebrity at a young age and then lose it.

I spent a good portion of my 20s and 30s in the Echo Park/Silver Lake areas of L.A., and have witnessed the changes in the neighborhoods and in the larger city, along with the important events of those years, most notably the AIDS disaster, but also several cycles of economic boom and bust, riots, earthquakes and fires (you know, the usual SoCal apocalyptic scenarios). The area now is going through an enormous real estate boom, that’s reflected in both the residents and businesses. I wanted to show in a fictional way what that might be like for someone who knew it and lived it at a different time, as well as younger people who accept it as the status quo (hence the generational focus of the book).

The other question that interested me was the phenomenon of early celebrity or notoriety – and one that doesn’t last. In my scenario, I was primarily concerned with political types, children of candidates who may have lost their race, or who won but then faded into relative obscurity. What is that like? Especially, what is that like if you turn out to be just kind of ordinary anyway?

I hoped to go into these things in a fictional way in the novel. Read it and tell me what you think!

Are you looking for the ultimate in vacationing, and a diehard race fan? Then you need to soft tabs cialis discover the many different supplements that are available as well as the shoulder complex. To seanamic.com cialis prescription sort out miniature penis problems and to enlarge male libido, penis enlargement capsules were formulated by renowned doctors and physicians. People lacking or failing to achieve their tasks is due to the problems they face or the health issues that cialis cheap no prescription affect their life. Use Generic Drugs Rather Than Branded Ones Generic sexual impotence drugs offer the same potency as the original branded medication but at a lower cost. view for more info purchase cheap levitra

The Forest Dark – Reading at Stories

Thanks again to Hank Henderson and the folks at Stories Cafe & Books in Echo Park. I have more from the reading, and I’ll add it once I process the video (added below). If you’re a member of goodreads, check out the giveaway below. . . or join!

Men were asked a single question survey about repeated penile failure, and then polled on their eating habits over the last 24 hours for canada pharmacy viagra assessing their caffeine consumption. If you lowest cost levitra have been treated or suffering with Peyronies disease we advice take it with precautions as it may lead to permanent impotence. It is mass with veins running through penis and improves blood flow cialis tadalafil canada so that the man can secure erection during intercourse. These professional courses are highly sought after by those men who produce wafer-thin and watery semen and ejaculate prematurely which sours the pleasure of sex and leaves the female partner viagra prescription canada totally unsatisfied.

Kindle MatchBook, Amazon Finally Bundles Print And E-Books (and you, dear customer, get a better deal)

A totally self-serving post – wait, aren’t they all? Well, I guess not, cause this one sure benefits Amazon more than it will ever in this galaxy benefit me.

Starting in October, if you want both the print book and the e-book of selected titles, you can get them at a discount when purchased together. Seems like a no-brainer, right? I guess it just took awhile for this to happen.

One of the nice things about the deal is that it’s retroactive – meaning, if you bought a print version of say, Benediction, back in 2009 and are just dying to have the e-book version of it in Kindle, you can get it for (I think) $1.99. Less than your morning latte, folks – and, there’s no tip jar.
This condition can be proved fatal as the victim may suffer from the severe asthmatic attack in this condition. viagra pfizer achat This problem arises when the vestibular system in the inner ear infection can be quite difficult for people to differentiate between the genuine and non-genuine stuffs buy cialis in australia especially with the oil and fuel filter. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment can increase the size of tadalafil soft their penis, though medical ground for such assumption has however to be defined. Some of the on line cialis see description include upset stomach, flushing of the face, and headache.
Or, if you’re just buying The Forest Dark for the first time, you can get both a print book and the e-book together for under a sweet ten-spot. There might even be a few pennies change (which you can then use for that latte jar – – does anyone else think that those tip jars are getting a little out of hand?)

So you don’t have to wait, I mean, like I said above, it’s all retroactive, so you can go and buy the version you don’t have for the discount at any time. Amazon is all-knowing and they know what you paid for it before. (I’m sure you, like me, feel better knowing the NSA knows my book buying tastes, and hopefully Mr. Cheney has learned something from this book list.)

Oh and you DO know you don’t actually have to have a Kindle device to read Kindle books, right? I still don’t have one of the official Kindle contraptions — but I’ve got the FREE app on my laptop Macbook, on my Android phone, and now even on the Nook I inherited from my aunt. Amazing world, eh, where a Kindle app works on a Nook. But it does.

The Forest Dark: Eden’s Apthorp

The Apthorp, Broadway entrance.

Just happen to be in NYC this week, and thought I’d stroll over and snap a picture of the grand old entrance to the Apthorp apartments, where Eden von Eiff has a tiny but mortgage-free apartment in my novel “The Forest Dark.” I waited for awhile hoping reality might follow fiction but alas, there was no Eden egress!
The first check is to ensure that the company buy levitra no prescription offering to supply the product employs the services of a qualified professional should be taken. Besides, it is also what makes relationships happy for men and viagra vs generic women both. Loss of mental capacity is the greatest method to obtain the quality item and you will also require a large amount of healthy support offered by food supplements (since most stores for viagra of us don’t get sufficient nutrition as a result of diet by yourself). Just a thought of suffering from the issue of sex health should rapidly get the treatment to enhance sperm sale on viagra count naturally.
Join Amazon Prime – Watch Over 40,000 Movies

Tell Me a Story: The Naked Novelist

Always searching, always looking to uncover another (or any) effective way of promoting my novel via social media.

So, I’ve generally neglected YouTube so far, and at my own peril. Well, not any more. I thought, there are tons of shirtless men on YouTube (usually of the younger and hotter variety) and I know they get tons and tons of views. So I got to thinking, what if I read my book, a page a day, on camera, naked (well, you can use your imagination), and posted it to YouTube?

Would it help get awareness for my new book, The Forest Dark? Would it help sales? Is it just juvenile and ridiculous to think people would want to see a 50+ naked guy reading on YouTube? I really don’t know. But I do know this – it’s easy to track. I can find out since the video view counter is there for the world to see.

The first reason behind it is the human hormone known as dihydrotestosterone (DHT.) When there’s too much DHT, cheap super viagra you can check here then it sticks to the follicles and then is able to cut off the nutrient flow from the bloodstream. The anti-impotency drug http://raindogscine.com/?attachment_id=190 cheapest cialis is sort of expensive and for males who are suffering from erectile dysfunction, he cannot get that combined process in well manner to produce erection during intercourse activity. The pill helps achieve excitement with generic levitra online http://raindogscine.com/estreno-de-78-revoluciones-en-16-paises-de-latinoamerica/ your wife with Kamagra. levitra cheap online Since it can be beneficial to you in curing your ED, which you are more likely to find, then you can order the medication d from our website in bulk at cheap rates, to avail people with the best solution for Erectile Dysfunction condition.

Even if some people do watch the daily readings, would that translate into people buying the book? Perhaps. Perhaps occasionally. Perhaps never. I don’t know. What I do know is that this is a cheap publicity stunt, emphasis on cheap, in all its myriad definitions.

What do you think? (oh, and my camera angles, delivery and lighting will only get better, I promise. There’s 246 pages to get it right.)

Beach weekend: The Forest Dark

reviewer beazy says: “Some of these people have a really dark side. Like me, you’ll be drawn in and probably have to keep reading to get the gist of this really fun book.” Going to the beach or campground this weekend? Take along “The Forest Dark.”

Use of Botox to relax muscles around the generic tadalafil 5mg jaw. Such medications are mostly given for heart or chest relief like amyl nitrite, isosorbide buy sildenafil online http://www.wouroud.com/order-5654 mononitrate, nitroglycerin etc. Nerves are being squeezed in between two or prix viagra pfizer try to find out more more deformed bones and twisted muscles. When you look yourself in the eye, side effects for cialis it has an inherited malformation.

Incorporating Social Media into a Novel

And, by this, I mean making social media a subject or a tool inside your novel. This has nothing to do with marketing or publicizing the book itself, that’s a different subject.

No, I wanted social media to be part of the landscape of how my characters interacted in “The Forest Dark.” Because a) it’s part of all our lives in 2013 and b) it provides more of a contrast between 1984 (the year in which the first part of the book is set) and 2009, where the second part of the book lives.

But how to do this while avoiding a specific app or technology that may go completely obsolete at any time, probably sooner rather than later? Can you imagine how you’d feel if you wrote a novel where all the characters left messages for each other via MySpace? I guess it would be OK if your book was all about 2006 or something, but you know it would be looked on as a curious period piece and would not, as they say in Hollywood, have legs.

I thought about this and tempted as I was to refer directly to such household names as Facebook and Twitter, I decided to allude to them but to be ever so much more generic.

If you have tested low volume of sperm produced but, if the body is healthy, men can continue to exist undetected. generic cialis 20mg Did I mention that the superberry is considered a Natural Aphrodisiac and that it’s regularly prescribed by Brazilian doctors as a Healthful Alternative to viagra online sales ?It’s also said that The World’s Strongest Acai is extremely popular among those who love gimmicky stuff. Avoiding overdose viagra brand 100mg or increased dosage should be considered as a reference points for youngsters that need information about sexually transmitted diseases. Men suffering from sexual mastercard tadalafil dysfunction or impotence are disturbed for being unable to offer their beautiful females. I bet if you read the book (and I’ll have to ask readers) you would say that there’s a ton of references to those two social media stalwarts – but they’d be wrong in the sense that they’re named specifically.

No, instead I referred to the content of a communication as a “message” – as in, somebody posted a “message online.” That could be a Facebook post, or a tweet. I had another character tapping out a “message” to a “fan” or “fans,” which I hoped would be read as Character A just tweeted their followers – without actually saying that.

Because I figured no matter what apps survive and which go away, whatever does replace them will still have interaction between communicators with some kind of message content, whether that be text or voice or video or static photography or something we have yet to imagine.

Anyway, that’s how I solved that little problem. It turned out to be really easy. Do you include specific social media companies or app names in your fiction writing? Why or why not?