Success

To get you,
I clash a lot,
I gazed many times
while dreaming of you !!

I honoured you,
And questioned 
"Why I am standing here?" 
Finally, I came to know, only to get you !!

I came to know,
It isn't easy to get you,
So, I promised myself,
I never resist my dream because of you !!

To get you,
I was just like lunatic,
I couldn't analyse it.
"Who am I ?"
It wasn't detrimental,
To get you,
but wasn't easy to get you !!

I decline my incline,
I think it was your omen,
To me,
to be grabbed by me !!

I never get noble,
I always rushed,
To get you,

To the rowdy,
you are rare.
But to me,
Without you I am bare.!!

With the grace of god,
I want you,
And can't express my joy to be the devotee of you !!

*Pro-Bio* Of *Ike Boat* *Professional Biography* – Pro-Bio *Pro-Bio* – *Ike Boat* #IB Growing Up Story – GUS:

His life, like the metamorphosis stage of an African butterfly going through lots of dramatic changes thought him tremendous things, both negatives and positives. It all started on the suburban street of Amanful West in Takoradi, Western Region of Ghana where he mingled and entangled in a life-style some described as being ‘Gutter-Snipe’ or seemingly ‘Ghetto-like’. Thus, both lowly and highly cherished characteristics of a boy with futuristic ambitions in relation to his passion of every-day life. He’s a teenager with heart for reading, writing and reciting what he later termed as ‘Read Aloud Session – RAS’ for short.

Thus, literally or meaning his solitary moment he picks a story book, newspaper or magazine and hides himself at a backyard or close-door to read aloud like communicating in front of audience coupled with gesticulation and sensation in an atmosphere of loneliness. Factually, learning new things and sharing ideas became his hall-mark. Well, as the saying goes “All works and no play, makes jack a dull boy”, viz he sometimes played on sandy pitch football with some neighbors and subsequently played for his primary and junior secondary school football teams. Academically, he’s brilliant and good in lots of subjects hence won the hearts of head teachers to become school prefect in both primary and junior secondary levels respectively. Needless to say, ups and downs as well ‘Doubting Thomases’ of the hood never stopped or bothered him, as he focused in turning his passion to profession in the Arts global industry. LOL, one of his comical growing up character during his early child-hood days of life as a boy, he combined ‘Crying tears with bathing water’ often-times when he’s asked to bath and come for his meal.

Well, if this were Scripture in the book of Psalms, I’ll state ‘Selah’ literally ‘Pause and Think’. So, this GUS happens to be a mixed bag of nostalgia about the Ike Boat chap as it brings to fore deeper things yet to come in his creative arts life-style. Who’s IB Biography In Focus – BIF: Ike Boat (IB) as his popular artiste pseudonym or stage-brand name. He’s originally called Isaac Adjei Boateng to his parent both hails from the Central Region of Ghana, West Africa. In relation to his life-style of creativity and simplicity he chose the current name Ike Boat with the following as meaningful acronym I = Inspirational, K = Kind, E = Effective (IKE), B = Brilliant, O = Oral, A = Artistic, T = Truthful (BOAT).

Well, no wonder such a name has gained both local and global recognition, being on actual and virtual mediums. He’s pushed to welcome and embrace mother nature ie(Earth) on 11th June in the 80s (Eighties), being the fifth male child of seven siblings in Takoradi, Western Region of Ghana. His child-hood classroom education started at Bishop Essuah Day Nursery and Kindergarten where he continued to Bishop Essuah Primary and Junior Secondary school respectively, for which he completed in the year 1999. Unforgettably, he’s also part of the school’s choir which rehearsal was organized and done bi-weekly, thus during days of secondary cycle education. Again, academically he continued his studies at St.John’s School and completed in June,2002 as a General Arts graduate. Later in the years, his passion about ministry made him a student of Theology at Maryland Bible College & Seminary of Takoradi being on the list of starters as a means of acquiring insight and knowledge in the scriptures.

Fast forward bit, in the year 2014 specifically between October and December he’s sponsored to study A1 German linguistic at the Goethe Institut of Cantonments in Accra, Ghana. He’s such a true admirer of languages and always ready to learn from other tongues with clarity of accent as well as intonation. Indeed, he’s capable to express himself as in communicating and writing a bit in German language “Ich sprache ein bischon Deutsch”. Of course, he had average pass-mark during after test examination at Goethe Institut of Cantonments in Accra, Ghana – West Africa. His passion for music and poetry is a natural result of inspiration through writing and singing. In relation to marriage, he’s never married and remains faithful to have cross-cultural inter-racial marriage as he’s still single chap with life purpose.

Works And More – WAM: In the year 2016, he’s appointed as Manager and Librarian of Amanful Digital Library & Learning Arena – ADLLA at Amanful West suburb of Takoradi, Western Region, Ghana. Whilst there he taught school kids reading and writing skills, thus through pronunciation and dictation. His other works also proper arrangement of library shelves as well as online publications of ADLLA. It’s under his managerial role that’s when ADLLA benefited from book funding donation of $1000 dollars. Aside, he’s also able to organize first ever pre-Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) evening classes.

In 2018, he played solid management role with Samanti Super-Market, a subsidiary under the auspices of Samanti Group of Companies, thus he contributed effectively to the social media publicity and strategic online marketing of it products. He’s administrator and media director in charge of vlogs as well blogs of the super-market. On 28th, 30th and 31st July,2018 he’s instrumental in coming up with a program outline for the official grand opening of Samanti Supermarket being the MC on 28th July,2018. Subsequently, he came up with the ‘Shop And Chop – SAC’ concept as a means of customer attraction acts which took place at the Samanti Supermarket premises, Lapaz area of Accra. Specifically, as buyers were entreated with free Pizzas and Drinks, thus Monday on 30th July,2018. On the last day of July,2018 he’s part of the .Samanti Group of Companies – SGOC, team which donated $2000 dollars plus items to the Accra Psychiatric Hospital in Accra, capital of Ghana, West Africa.

Directly and indirectly, he’s also contributed to mini promo-vlogs for B-Flat Studio under PAP Zone 101 Sound Equipment and Events Company based in Kasoa, Central Region of Ghana. He also engaged in assisting then Manager of Estate Lodge Limited – ELL hitherto at Estate Top of Kasoa, Central Region of Ghana. Thus, sometimes as receptionist and other times as cleaning fellow of the premises whilst residing at same place. He’s also worked as a local port volunteer onboard the OM ships such as MV Logos II, MV Doulos and MV Logos Hope as well as serving several other mission-oriented travelers and tourist in to Ghana, thus from countries such as Britain (UK), USA, Canada, Australia, Germany just to mention but a few.

He’s also hired to worm as social media page Assistant Manager on Facebook courtesy Sprinforth Community School – SCS and there’s progressive numerical Likes. Better-still, he also did a promo-vlog to help online publicity of the school, located at East Legon in Accra, Ghana. Book Reading Review – BRR Promotional Concept He’s done special social media BRR for Authors such as Mr.Okechwuku Okugo (Nigerian) based in New York, USA. Mr.Dennis Mann (Mr.Dennis Agyeman) – Ghanaian based in Accra, capital city of Ghana.

Hitherto, he’s also been featured publications on the following online Magazines: *Wake Magazine – USA *Synchronized Chaos Magazine – USA (www.synchchaos.com) Portfolios As Artiste – PAA: Musically, his first ever demoed song titled Jubilee Love reggae genre was recorded at KODED Studio in Takoradi by then studio Assistant engineer, this in 2007. And in 2010, he recorded another Gospel Reggae single dubbed Gabbatha To Golgotha at the P&M Studio also in Takoradi, Western Region of Ghana. He has composed several songs, one titled OM All The Way dedicated to Operation Mobilization – www.om.org 

It’s later recorded in-studio whilst at Tema with a professional instrumentalist fellow. The following are some notable audio portfolios online: No Mom Like Rose (Spoke-Word Poem), I Can’t Understand – ICU (Spoken-Word Poem), Oh, CV – Corona Virus! (Spoken-Word Poem), The Piano (Spoken-Word Poem). They can be listened to via Sound-Cloud Web-Link: www.soundcloud.com/ikeboatofficial Special birthday dedication dubbed Our Triple A @ Seventy, thus Mr.Alfred Addo Acheampong (Dual citizen of USA and Ghana) with Mr.Kenneth Anim as the Executive Producer. Being such a talented vocal individual, he’s done series of Voice-Overs ranging from Adverts, Promos and Jingles which have aired both on-air (radio) and on-line (world-wide-web). Some notable ones includes: Mount Sinai Enterprise (Takoradi), Samanti Super-Market (Accra), PAMUCHAHA Program By Breakthrough Family Ministries International (Takoradi), Raycona 1 Venture (Kasoa), Green-Light Academy (Kasoa), Shining Light Educational Centre (Kasoa), Fire Of Favour Chapel International (Kasoa), Smally Green Super Collections (Nigeria), Crystal Palace Hotel (Kasoa), Poks Vocational Training Institute (Ashaiman).

He’s also recorded unreleased Poetic-Ad piece for Bel Aqua Mineral Water as a creative promotional work dubbed AABA Project still in-studio pending remix and refix engineering touches. Indeed, he’s such an incredible Voice-Over in terms of vocal prowess for making Adverts, Promo and Jingles. He’s also featured on P.O.E.T Anthology and Spoken-Word poem feature on Blaq Ice Production album in USA respectively. As a professional vocal talent, he’s also a good musical figure with demos and singles as part of his unreleased audio portfolios. In relation to film-making or movie acting, his first ever character feature took place at Blue Top Villa as he played a dramatic role as Patron in one of the scenes courtesy Gh-Media School students film project. Precisely, on 4th January,2021 – Title of Film: Riddles. He’s often open and hopes to enhance his professional portfolios to the apex, thus on higher heights in both local and global arts industry.

Media Experience – ME: Radio/Television/Internet (Online) – His first ever radio experience, thus exposure took place on Radio Maxx 105.1 FM as mere introducer of a Christian program dubbed Power Word of Jesus hosted by Rev.Nyameyekese Wireku. Specifically, it’s in the year 2003 as a fresh graduate of Senior High School (2002) at the heart of Western Region, Ghana.(West Africa). As a matter of fact, he’s associated with the following media organizations: BBC – World Service, being instrumental during the official launch of BBC 104.7 FM in the Western Region of Ghana. He’s the microphone holder towards audience contributions at the Skyy Amphitheatre during the live broadcast of World Have Your Say – WHYS hosted by Ros Atkins of British Broadcasting Corporation – BBC fame.

Unforgettably, he’s interactive and informative several times during the weekly broadcast of Maple Leaf Mail-Bag show on Radio Canada International in Montreal, Canada hosted by Ian Jones precisely via phone contributions and online submissions on the show. Better-still, he’s done numerous postal correspondence and received behind the scenes recognitions on Voice of America – VOA in USA as he did a creative poetic write-up about VOA. There’s been some other effective contributions on some notable international broadcasters, thus acting as Correspondent.

The following are some key radio stations he’s had connections and contributions in relation to program or content participation, thus even interviews and being a panelist on-air i.e. (Good-News 96.3 FM, Help 103.9 FM, Beach 105.5 FM, Paragon 99.9 FM, Empire 102.7 FM, Radio Silver 92.3 FM, Y.97.9 FM, Cheers 90.7 FM, Angel 95.5 FM, Kingdom 107.5 FM, Kyzz 89.7 FM, Twin City Radio 94.7 FM, Western Region, Ghana). GBC-Uniiq 95.7 FM, Sunny 88.7 FM, Class 91.3 FM, Joy 99.7 FM, Starr 103.5 FM – Accra, capital of Ghana). His first ever television appearance took place on TV3 Mentor as part of Western Region music audition/screening in 2006.

Subsequently, he’s also on the Vodafone Icon – Mixed Edition music audition in Takoradi-city at the time. He’s been on several other TV screens sometimes on street vox-pop and phone-in or text message contribution. Prior to 2020 General Elections in Ghana, together with Face-TV crew under the management of Grino Multi-Media he did a pre-election vox-pop sampling views about which political party and presidential candidate was likely to win power to rule the nation, Ghana. His maiden moment on live TV show as a panelist took place on Awake TV dated Friday,19th March.2021 at 10pm to 11pm which was simultaneously streamed live on Facebook. Directly and indirectly, he’s contributed to several other TV and Radio programs both in the Western and Greater Accra (Capital) regions of Ghana. Besides, He’s been effective on some notable online broadcasting platforms, even when it comes to social media publications. His rich knowledge in the media-spheres has revealed his versatility and creativity with respect to radio and television.

Hence, has made him one of the secretly and highly sought-after creative content provider, being a reputable contributor of different programs on-air and on-line respectively. He has professional connections with other on-air radio station personalities in different regions of the country due to his insightful broadcasting expertise and communication experiences. Last but not least, he’s also good when it comes to social media page and group management. Gigs In Detail – GID: Ike Boat as a Spoken-Word figure, has performed on stages such as the maiden launch of Western Music Awards in Takoradi, Western Region, Ghana. Peace Gospel Concert organized at Bethel Methodist Church, Takoradi in 2016. Spoken Reasons by Takoradi Poetry Club in Western region, Ghana. Valentine Night Show by GIE Events in Takoradi, Ghana. Reflections Music Album Launch by Minister Shedrack Tronu at Takoradi Polytechnic Auditorium, Western Region, Ghana. The Thinking Conference organized Good-News 96.3 FM, Takoradi, Ghana. Shine Awards – Breakfast Meeting – March,2018 in Accra, Ghana. Poetry And Drama Festival by Centre for National Culture – 2018 at Fijai, Sekondi, Ghana. Maiden Event of Street Praise by PAP Zone 101 at Kasoa, Central Region of Ghana. I-Code Event 2021 – Takoradi, Western Region, Ghana. PAP Zone 101 – Africa Union Day Event at Crystal Palace Hotel, Top Hill – Kasoa, Central Region, Ghana. of Just to mention but a few…

MC Of Events/Shows: IB as a skillful and brilliant Master Communicator #MC of ceremonies. He’s thrilled audiences of Birthday parties, Wedding, Engagement, Album launch and other social functions. He’s chosen to be the MC of his uncle’s 70th Birthday Party at Estate Top, Kasoa. Constantly and consistently, he’s Anchored as MC of Church programs at Mount Zion International Gospel Church, Estate Top of Kasoa. In 2018, he’s the official MC during the opening of Samanti Super-Market at Lapaz, Accra. Indeed, two consecutive times he’s MC of Street Praise organized by PAP Zone 101 at Kasoa, Central Region of Ghana. He’s also contributed as supporting or auxiliary MC of Wedding Feast which took place at Blue Top Villa, Kasoa, Ghana. Better-still, he’s the auxiliary MC alongside DJ during Graduation Event organized by In God We Trust Vocational Training Institute at Kasoa, Central Region, Ghana. Interestingly, he’s often quite entertaining when MC alongside DJ playing music to audiences. He’s often influential figure, be it minor or major events or shows.

Achievements/Awards/Nominations – AAN: 2014 – Nominee (International Poet of the Year), NPA – National Poetry Awards, USA. 2015 – Nominee (International Poet of the Year), NPA – National Poetry Awards, USA. 2016 – Awardee (Winner) – (International Poet of the Year), NPA – National Poetry Awards, USA 2017 – Awardee (Winner) – (Best International Artist of the Year), NSWA – National Spoken-Word Awards – Courtesy ‘Blaq Ice Production’ – USA. People Of Extraordinary Talent – P.O.E.T – Africa Ambassadorial Award, USA. 2018 – Awardee (Winner) – (Best International Artist of the Year), NSWA – National Spoken-Word Awards – Courtesy ‘Blaq Ice Production’ – USA. Shine Awards – Nominee – Poet Of The Year, Accra – Ghana, 2019 – Awardee (Winner) – (Best International Artist of the Year), NSWA – National Spoken-Word Awards – Courtesy ‘Blaq Ice Production’ – USA. 2020 – Nominee – (Best International Artist of the Year), NSWA – National Spoken-Word Awards – Courtesy ‘Blaq Ice Production’ – USA. Bronze Certificate – Vocal Category – Virtual Edition – World Championship Of Performing Arts – WCOPA, USA. Tikpan TV Writing Contest, UK & Ghana – 1st Edition – First Winner 2021 – Nominee – (Best International Artist of the Year), NSWA – National Spoken-Word Awards – Courtesy ‘Blaq Ice Production’ – USA. 2021 – Nominee – (Humanitarian Of The Year) – Global Empire Entertainment Media Awards – GEEMA, USA

At a time when many Americans feel that we may finally, after over 150 years, be coming to some form of recognition of the Black experience, Michael J. Robinson’s From Chains to Freedom gives voice to the pain and loss suffered by so many long ago. Only time will tell if this moment will be the change we are seeking but Michael’s poems will live on, regardless.

The poems here are tightly constructed images of the slave experience with the sea and salvation the only comforting companions to the world they were forced into.

This collection provides a history and imagery that cannot be forgotten. They are designed to be reread and reconsidered for their messages. Recently poetry has enjoyed popular recognition with several collections nudging out novels on the NY Times bestseller list. Hopefully this interest will extend to such vital collections as From Chains to Freedom as it a work that deserves to be recognized. It serves as a historical reminder of an American mindset that is too easily misrepresented in our culture. It brings the pain of the past to the present.

Welcome all to July’s issue of Synchronized Chaos Magazine! This month the submissions highlight the wonder, danger, beauty and complexity of the world around us.

Anthony Vernon kicks us off with a short piece about a child’s awe at the night sky.

Hongri Yuan’s poetry, translated by Yuanbing Zhang, connects with a timeless imaginative world beyond Earth.

Sushant Thapa looks to the sky, showing how all of us, homeless people included, are part of life on the same planet.

Jack Galmitz’ parable encourages ecological conservation while inviting us to consider how much thought and decision-making agency we imagine non-human life to have. Chimezie Ihekuna’s poem calls out both the precarity and the joy of living on Earth.

Marjorie Thelen ponders rural American life: being dwarfed and amazed by expanses of space and time, working hard to maintain one’s lifestyle, realities and stereotypes of the social climate, and the complex ways farmers and ranchers relate to the ecosystems and the animals they raise.

Lazlo Aranyi’s poetry evokes the ancient wisdom of the Tarot while Jaie Miller writes of dream states, memory and destiny. Alan Catlin drawn on both older and newer history and culture as metaphors for his stream of consciousness work.

Robert Thomas looks at WWII through his father’s experience as a bombardier and tail gunner. Steven Croft, a combat veteran himself, reflects on more recent armed conflicts from the point of view of ordinary soldiers and civilians, past and present. Susie Gharib poignantly demonstrates the effect of economic sanctions on civilians through pieces that combine reminiscence, grief, and nostalgic elegance.

Jeff Rasley depicts current conditions at Wounded Knee, South Dakota, a Sioux reservation where people work and honor their culture and eke out a living in creative ways despite extreme poverty. This is an excerpt from his upcoming book America’s Existential Crisis: Our Inherited Obligation to Native Americans.

Patricia Doyne contributes two poems on urgent American social issues: gun violence and the environment and climate change.

Mahjabeen Rafiuddin and Bianca Stewart both review Michael Robinson’s recently released poetry collection From Chains to Freedom, about the pain and resilience of the Black male experience in the US.

Zara Miller explores the genesis and character arcs of villains and heroes. Frankie Laufer’s work also explores narrative, with an ode to the experience of reading, yet then shows how our emotions can outweigh the stories we tell ourselves about our relationships.

In the second installment of his Ph.D. thesis, Z.I. Mahmud probes Charles Dickens’ personal history and how it could have inspired parts of his novel David Copperfield.

Christopher Bernard also continues his Ghost Trolley story, heightening the adventure for ‘children and their adults.’

Ian Smith’s poetic speakers look out over panoramas of water and sand, remembering their books and travels. Kahlil Crawford’s piece follows a single man through a modern metropolis, showing his individual struggles and experiences participating in public art and culture.

Ivan Jenson writes of the inner loneliness and complex, shifting identity that can come as part of the human condition, while Abigail George recollects a past flame within a meditative piece on creative inspiration, family and romantic love, womanhood and mental health.

Terry Tierney reviews Virginia Aronson’s new poetry collection Hikikomori, about modern-day people in Japan who have chosen to withdraw from society out of feelings of inadequacy and shame, a preference for solitude, or a combination of those reasons.

Anthony Ward describes the responsibility of jury duty, the heavy weight on his character’s conscience when he realizes that he isn’t sure about a life and death decision.

Mark Young’s visual art pieces harness contrast as an artistic device: vibrant and subtle colors, defined and fuzzy lines and shapes juxtaposed. He incorporates English words as a pictorial rather than a communicative element, encouraging us to see the letters themselves as part of the crafted picture.

The universe, even the world inside our own minds, can seem huge and overwhelming. Yet we each have a place here, and we can certainly assert that we belong and celebrate our joy when we find our place.

Ike Boat puts himself forward as a spoken word artist with a personal biography and several still shots of himself performing work in different styles. He also reviews Dennis Mann’s children’s book Mr. Pee Pee.

Sheryl Bize-Boutte crafts an unconventional love story, where two vastly different human beings recognize a common bond.

And our individual lives and choices can matter.

Mahbub’s pieces are poems of life, about a willingness to love and live in the world wherever we find ourselves.

Chimezie Ihekuna’s spotlighted screenplay One Man’s Deep Words focuses on a professor who finds his own intellectual and personal voice.

Sarita Sarvate sends an excerpt from her upcoming memoir Leaving the Cuckoo’s Nest, about leaving an arranged marriage and creating a new life for herself in a new country.

We hope that this issue will inspire you to seek out and find your own artistic and creative voice and to read and learn from the many ideas, cultures and values presented here.

HERO VS. VILLAINS

“Honestly, the closest I can think of them, as well made as they are, with actors doing the best they can under the circumstances, is theme parks. It isn’t the cinema of human beings trying to convey emotional, psychological experiences to another human being.”

So, Martin Scorcese compares Marvel movies to theme parks. And honestly, what a mood.

True, this isn´t exactly the newsworthy material, Ricky Gervais discussed Scorcese´s top-notch diss of superhero culture movies during his monologue at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards.

But it recently popped up in my recommended videos because the Youtube algorithm works in mysterious ways and got to thinking – is it just about shallow screenwriting and the allure of cheap CGI action, the mindless fun?

And I realized that the problem of Marvel storytelling runs even deeper than the genius director conveyed to us out loud – that it heavily influenced the type of novels we get to read – and it´s not exactly Marvel´s fault … Not entirely.

ONE-DIMENSIONAL CHARACTERS

One-dimensional characters or flat characters do not change or grow from the start of the story to the end. Their purpose is to highlight the main character, to be a plot device, or a tool, and they typically are simpletons with a one point of view on life – they only see one dimension – hence one-dimensional characters, hold a simple and small perspective about life or the situation in the story. Their character is often used as a literary device to keep the narrative moving – many times when the script has written itself into a corner, or the writer has run out of effective ways to move the plot forward.

Now, Marvel, from the three-hundred and seventy-two movies total from which I´ve seen eighteen, does not suffer from one-dimensional characters on the hero side of the story. All the good guys go through trauma, they learn, they grow, they develop new opinions (ehm-ehm- some of them).

Marvel has been criticized for sucking at writing an effective villain but the problem is not the villains, the problem is the root of the Marvel storytelling – the good guys are good and the bad guys are bad.

One would think that they would take their own advice and write all the villains the way Loki is written – which is the reason (not the only one, yeah, Tom Hiddleston is awesome and all that) why audiences flock to him so much. He has a strong motivation, he´s smart and his character is a rainbow of personalities – just like a regular human being, which makes him likable and most importantly, relatable.

But Marvel is not the inventor of one-dimensional characters.

William Shakespeare is.

Benvolio from Romeo and Juliet, Gertrude from Hamlet, Shylock from The Merchant of Venice very effective plot devices with one stubborn character feature that poses an obstacle to the protagonist.

However, Shakespeare didn´t have Hollywood studios behind him to balance out the lack of personalities in his stories with raging beam in the sky and generic CGI armies. To give a complete experience to audiences, he had to support the narrative by creating strong protagonists, interesting antagonists, and villains with complex personalities (Lady Macbeth, Hamlet, Portia). And when you do that, your story not only allows for the one-dimensional character to make sense, it makes it even more immersive and realistic – because we all know that one blank person who is just sort of … there. Existing, with one opinion on all the debatable, morally grey, complicated stuff we deal with in life.

And that´s why people will never have such a raging allergy if a Marvel movie turns out bad and will keep watching them and paying for the next one and the next one and the next one.

Low stakes, low damage.

Now compare that to a show heavily driven by character development where there are no villains and heroes like the Game of Thrones. 

Feel like re-watching it? No? Me neither. And no one can blame us. That show became un-rewatchable due to replacing the complexity of the human heart with a hero vs. villain storytelling and adding some explosive Marvel-type action as the final lethal, cyanide-like icing on the cake. 

IN BOOKS

All the teenage apocalyptic series. Thank you for your time, good night.

….

I really didn´t want to get into this but there is no better example than the popular doomsday book series where children hunt each other in a world that no longer resembles a rational society. And they gave us all the subsequent movie franchises in which those very same teenagers are at least twenty-six years old, of course.

However, there is a silver lining on the horizon in a form of Shadow and Bone. I´ve never read the books but the popular fantasy book series The Grisha has been picked up by Netflix and the first book has been adapted in a form of a limited TV series.

And if the source material is as strong as the adaptation, we might just be plunging out of the lazy storytelling brought about by the likes of Twilight and 50 Shades of Grey.

DOES I AM CECILIA DO BETTER THAN THAT?

Cecilia used to think that being born to a small fortune, accompanied by chrysanthemums on the way from the hospital and surrounded by exploding fanfares of affection, would set her up for a never-ending life of lottery wins, parades without rain, and smooth slides on the slopes of adoration. She never realized how slippery that slope of adoration was. Maybe money was not the root of all evil. Family dysfunction was.

• An Excerpt from I am Cecilia by Zara Miller

As promised last time in the first article, I would reveal a little bit behind the story and the inspiration behind writing this YA novel.

The hero vs. villain in the Marvel movies is something that was always on my mind and tried to avoid during writing. Blurring the lines in the protagonist/antagonist/villain/anti-hero characterization. Not just because it´s a lot of fun but because it makes for a rich experience.

When you find yourself disliking the hero yet rooting for them anyway, or loving the villain yet understanding that they have to be stopped – the writer is probably doing it right.

I am Cecilia is now available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/I-am-Cecilia-Zara-Miller-ebook/dp/B094519D7T/ref

You can follow me on Instagram @zaramiller_author, or on LinkedIn under Zara Miller for more news and swoon-worthy fiction content. Looking forward to meeting you all!

Under the Sky

Sky observes daily

Below it.

Many walkers

Looking around do not

Know about the gateway to man-made heaven.

It should not be a poem every time to

Talk about sky, rain and the sun.

Cracks on my ceiling

Climbs down to my spine

I search coherence in my papers

Grasses are gentle

Thorns sometimes pain the eye

Without pricking the finger.

Most of the time it is the beating heart

Afraid of the vastness above the clouds.

---

Homeless World

Homeless still people live

No lights are lit to turn off

No sheets and high held pillows

To wipe the tears.

No time to set an alarm for the morning

No morning to rest for the day.

How to live without staring at the ceiling?

Makes me wonder about the stars

 Sky of vast blanket can rain

Can cause the unwanted pour

Still life is carried

To sail like the every other leaf

Swept by the rain water.