Alex J Cavanaugh on Morality in Writing

My Battle of the Band winners will be announced in my post of Monday September 23rd.  I will also have a bit of controversy related to this particular Battle of the Bands face-off.   

     Here's a blogger who needs no introduction so I'll just say "Hello Alex J. Cavanaugh--Tell us what's on your mind today."

Morality in Writing

       Big thanks to my long-time friend, Lee, for letting me invade his blog yet again. Not only did he agree to host me during the release week of CassaStorm, but he gave me free reign on the topic.

       Of course, knowing he likes topics that stir conversation with a bit of controversy, it took me a while to select one. Confrontation is not my thing. I finally decided to talk about morality in writing. And there are several considerations that come into play.

•  Should an author’s moral compass be reflected in his writing?

• Does it depend on the genre or does it depend on the author?

• What about thrillers, crime novels, or horror, genres that require a dark center?

• Does it matter to the reader?

      How much of an author’s own moral compass should appear in his writing? I think the answer to that lies in balance. If an author’s views are strong, he needs to be aware of that while writing. It would be easy to hit people over the head with prose that is preachy. To completely abandon it though would also be wrong. So it’s all about balance.

      Does it depend on the genre or the author? Certainly there are genres that would suffer from a heavy dose of morality. Of course, as the movie Legend stated so well, you cannot have light without darkness. Does it depend on the author then? How far he is willing to push the boundaries? That is something each writer must decide for himself.

      Without pushing the moral compass though, would we even have crime thrillers, horror, and similar genres? For many of those stories, somebody has to be morally twisted in order for it to work. Of course, most of those still boil down to good versus evil and with good winning.

      What about the reader? They approach the story with their own moral sense of right and wrong. Since authors have no idea what that might be, they must walk a fine line. We don’t want to offend and turn readers away. Nor do we want our work to seem soft or unrealistic.

      That’s a lot to consider. And we all approach it in a unique manner.

       Since I always end my posts with a few questions, and I would never ask anyone something I was not willing to answer, I will do that for you now.

       I read a variety of science fiction, fantasy, and thrillers. I don’t mind some vile characters and immoral behavior, but I do expect good to triumph in the end.

      I’m more strict on myself though. I’m a born-again Christian, and I wouldn’t write anything that I couldn’t share with my Christian friends or even my pastor. Sure I hint at fast women on Spaceport 89 and Byron’s willingness for a night in bed with Athee. I never show it though, and I don’t use language stronger than damn. Sure I could’ve written some really edgy books, but I wouldn’t have been proud of them. I do believe my books are a reflection on me. I also want anyone to be able to pick them up and enjoy, and that includes a ten-year-old, which is when I discovered the genre.

Now I ask you…

Should an author’s moral compass be reflected in his writing?

Does it depend on the genre or does it depend on the author?

What about thrillers, crime novels, or horror, genres that require a dark center?

Does it matter to the reader?

Thanks, Lee!

CassaStorm

By Alex J Cavanaugh

From the Amazon Best Selling Series!

A storm gathers across the galaxy…

Commanding the Cassan base on Tgren, Byron thought he’d put the days of battle behind him. As a galaxy-wide war encroaches upon the desert planet, Byron’s ideal life is threatened and he’s caught between the Tgrens and the Cassans.

After enemy ships attack the desert planet, Byron discovers another battle within his own family. The declaration of war between all ten races triggers nightmares in his son, threatening to destroy the boy’s mind.

Meanwhile the ancient alien ship is transmitting a code that might signal the end of all life in the galaxy. And the mysterious probe that almost destroyed Tgren twenty years ago could return. As his world begins to crumble, Byron suspects a connection. The storm is about to break, and Byron is caught in the middle…

“CassaStorM is a touching and mesmerizing space opera full of action and emotion with strong characters and a cosmic mystery.” – Edi’s Book Lighhouse

“…the racial conflicts propelled much of the plot in this story, driving home a message that's relevant to our own world and giving the book an interesting texture.” 
- C. Lee. McKenzie, author of Alligators Overhead

“Cavanaugh has created wonderfully moving moments of great poignancy… CassaStorm could have been a dark story full of hardship and angst, but instead it's a cleverly balanced story about hope and triumph.” 
- Lynda R. Young, author of Make Believe

$16.95 USA, 6x9 Trade paperback, 268 pages, Dancing Lemur Press, L.L.C.

Science fiction/adventure and science fiction/space opera

Print ISBN 9781939844002 eBook ISBN 9781939844019

$4.99 EBook available in all formats

Find CassaStorm:

Barnes and Noble - 

Amazon -

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Goodreads - 

Alex J. Cavanaugh has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and works in web design and graphics. He is experienced in technical editing and worked with an adult literacy program for several years. A fan of all things science fiction, his interests range from books and movies to music and games. Online he is the Ninja Captain and founder of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group. The author of the Amazon bestsellers, CassaStar and CassaFire, he lives in the Carolinas with his wife.

Website – http://alexjcavanaugh.blogspot.com/

Twitter – http://twitter.com/AlexJCavanaugh  

Goodreads--  http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4287922.Alex_J_Cavanaugh

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What's In A Name?

       Today we have a blog tour stop from author and blogger Yolanda Renée.     You can find Yolanda's blog at Defending The Pen.  Leave a comment on this post and you'll be eligible to win a copy of one of Yolanda's e-books.   Details at the end of this post...

   What's In A Name?

                Lucifer S Reynard is the antagonist of my soon to be released novel Memories of Murder, the second book in the Murder trilogy. A young man raised by his prostitute mother to believe that he is Lucifer's son. She gives him the name Lucifer and calls him Lucii for short. She promises him that his future holds a place of power and raises him to believe that he is the devil incarnate. While still a child, friends point out to him a picture of his father, the horned Beast, which is Lucii's first introduction to the real monster. At first horrified, Lucifer, with his mother's support, learns to accept his fate, and as an adult transforms himself into the Beast. Lucifer is a man determined to fulfill his mother's vision.

                During the research for Memories of Murder, I found that there are at least 1500 people with the first name of Lucifer in the United States. Not that unusual when you consider that the name Lucifer is Latin for morning star and the morning star refers to Venus. However, what I also found was that Lucifer and Satan are not the same, yet most of us believe that they are, therefore the title of this blog, What's In A Name. Well, if your name is Lucifer, quite a lot, especially if it's linked so deeply to Satan, the Beast, the Evil One. FYI – there are at least 40 names for the Devil.

                Why do most of us attribute the name Lucifer to Satan, or the Devil? Apparently, scribes made a bit of a mistake when deciphering the Old Testament. A Babylonian king named Lucifer was condemned for his treatment of the Israelites, but that incident was and still is, interpreted as the fall of Satan from heaven. Therefore, the Prince of Darkness, Satan, and The Morning star, Lucifer, became one and the same, but because of theologians, poets, and writers—myth and doctrine became interwoven, and the fall of Lucifer a Babylonian king, became not a man but an angel condemned by God.

                Interesting isn't it? Words do have power, and some mistakes last ages, but a lie can never really become truth, no matter how often it's repeated.

                Thanks Lee, for allowing me to discuss Lucifer, and my book Memories of Murder to be released on October 4, 2013. Murder, Madness & Love is now available, and one lucky commenter will receive an eBook copy of Memories or Murder, their choice.  The winner will be announced next Wednesday on Tossing It Out.

Yolanda Renée

Defending The Pen

Memories of Murder

October 4, 2013

Curiosity Quills Press

Decades ago, the seeds were planted …

Today, dark, fathomless eyes rake the image before him. One final task and the transformation is complete. Steady fingers screw intricately carved horns on each side of a stiff brow, and a gargoyle suitable for Notre Dame scowls from the smokey mirror in satisfaction.

A jagged smile rips through his smooth, hairless face, and inked, reptilian scales caress his naked body.

A laugh of hideous resonance emanates from his gut as the demons of hell welcome Lucifer into their fold.

In a dungeon-like chamber, his Lilith awaits. The kidnapped daughter of a nun, groomed to fit the final piece in the complex puzzle for world domination. Will Lucifer marry his bride, on the summer solstice?

Only two things stand in his way ...

His greed ...

And ...

Detective Steven Quaid.

~ Murder, Madness & Love is available now at ~

Amazon – Kobo – B & N

~ Memories of Murder will be available October 4, 2013 ~

~Yolanda Renée~

~Murder, Madness & Love~

~Defending The Pen~

~Facebook~

~Twitter~

~Pinterest~

             Do you have any thoughts on today's post?   What is the most problematic name that you've heard?    Do you think that our name given at birth can effect how we turn out later in life?

          The opinions expressed in today's post are those of guest Yolanda Renee and not necessarily held by the owner of this blog.

Be here on Friday as Alex J. Cavanaugh raises another controversial literary topic.

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• The Morning Star -jesus or Lucifer?

What Do You Think of Musical Theater?

      Yesterday was my Battle of the Bands post.  If you missed it or didn't vote yet, be sure to visit my BOTB post .   Also stop by to vote at the sites of the co-hosts  Far Away Series and Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends .  Keep in mind that there is a prize for the most frequent voters.

       Some others who put up their own Battle of the Bands posts can be found at  Your Daily Dose and   DiscConnected.   

And While on the Subject of Musicals...

        Since the Battle of the Bands theme of the host blogs matched up different takes on songs from the hippy era musical Hair, that got me thinking about musical theater as it was in its Golden Age, where it started going in the 1960's, and where it has come to now.

         I grew up on the traditional theatrical musicals such as those by Rodgers and Hammerstein and those light works of stage entertainment filled with music in the vein of the old standards and fun show tunes.  Those presentations probably look old-fashioned to anyone more familiar with the musicals of the post 60's.  Some of the old-school musicals are now and then revived by professional and semi-pro companies and are presented on high school stages that still have the money to present extravaganza stage productions.  But musical theater has changed a lot since the 1950's.

        When I was a kid in the 50's and early 60's, my parents took me to see a number of live stage musicals and many of the movie versions of the popular musicals of those times.   I enjoyed these until I reached my teens and that's when I began to take a more cynical view of musicals.  It began to seem kind of dumb for people to just break out into song.  Rock and roll was where it was at for me and musicals were passé.  That is until they became relevant for me.

Hair (musical) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

         Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar caught my attention with good music and good songs. Musicals were in my musical radar once again.  Then for the next couple decades I was involved in touring groups that could be considered as musical theater and for a brief period actually played in the band for a musical at a dinner theater in Virginia. I began attending musical productions whenever I had an opportunity.

          Now in my current stage of life I would still count myself a fan of musical theater, but more so the old school styles that I grew up with.   I love Evita but don't have the least bit of interest in the musicals of recent decades like Rent, Dreamgirls, or for that matter Les Miserables.  I want my musicals to be fun or at least have songs that I might be singing later.
.

           A lot of the innocence of musicals is gone,  Now they often are more raunchy and filled with bad language--probably partly as a result of musicals such as Hair.  Or they deal with social issues or ridicule conservative or religious values.  Of course since I have distanced myself from the world of musicals and theater maybe I'm misreading things.   I'm going by what I read or hear about in the media.  And I don't think much of most of the media either.

           I've changed a bit over the years.  Now you might call me an old fuddy-duddy.   Or you might think I'm spot on.

            What do you think of musical theater?    Do you think musicals used to be better or do you like the direction they've taken?   What is your favorite musical?   What is the last musical you've seen live on stage or on screen?

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