ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Weston Ochse is a former intelligence officer and special operations soldier who has engaged enemy combatants, terrorists, narco smugglers, and human traffickers. His personal war stories include performing humanitarian operations over Bangladesh, being deployed to Afghanistan, and a near miss being cannibalized in Papua New Guinea. His fiction and non-fiction has been praised by USA Today, The Atlantic, The New York Post, The Financial Times of London, and Publishers Weekly. The American Library Association labeled him one of the Major Horror Authors of the 21st Century. His work has also won the Bram Stoker Award, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and won multiple New Mexico-Arizona Book Awards. A writer of more than 26 books in multiple genres, his military supernatural series SEAL Team 666 has been optioned to be a movie starring Dwayne Johnson. His military sci fi series, which starts with Grunt Life, has been praised for its PTSD-positive depiction of soldiers at peace and at war. Weston likes to be called a chaotic good paladin and challenges anyone to disagree. After all, no one can really stand a goody two-shoes lawful good character. They can be so annoying. It's so much more fun to be chaotic, even when you're striving to save the world. You can argue with him about this and other things online at Living Dangerously or on Facebook at Badasswriter. All content of this blog is copywrited by Weston Ochse.

Thursday, October 18, 2012

42 Days of 666 - Day 40 with Rain Graves


For the next 42 days we're going to be counting down to the release of SEAL Team 666. Why 42? Because 42 is the answer to the universal question and knowing it is the only thing that will keep you from pining over the world premiere of SEAL Team 666. Plus, we think these answers are pretty awesome, giving you a glimpse into some of the world's most interesting people.

Today we have Rain Graves. You'll probably note that she demurred from using the prescribed format. But you see, she is a poet and she lives in San Francisco, and she is the High Priestess of MoFo, so we allow this of her. I've known Rain since I was a puppy in the writing industry. Winner of the 2002 Bram Stoker Award for Best Poetry Collection, she's a genius at pairing words, the tango, and can make a New York Cabbie cry for momma if pissed off. Publishers Weekly described her work as "Bukowski meets Lovecraft." If you've met her, you know that this describes her in her entirety.

The following three questions were asked to everyone. These are Rain's responses:

1. What’s your favorite military movie, book or television show?

2. Why is it your favorite? Here’s where you can ramble a bit. 

SCENT OF A WOMAN

Because it outlines what happens to those who serve *after* they come home...throughout the rest of their lives. What they live with, and what they don't think they can live with. Overused theme? OORAH. Did it work? Did Al Pacino dance a blind tango? (Some of you might now know that Rain won many Tango competitions, and has danced and trained with the best in the world. So no matter how badass Pacino truly is in this movie, methinks there's a little love of tango coloring her decision.)

TOP GUN

Because every Tom Boy wants to be Tom Cruise in this movie, and every girl wants to loose that loving feeling at least once in her life, just to get it back again. Overused theme? Cocky wannabe pilot wears his dress uniform to get laid. And it works. Chicks just want to trap a military guy for the steady paycheck and babies. And it works. Snotty show-offs don't endanger the team's safety and always save the day. Doesn't work.


INGLORIOUS BASTARDS

This one should be obvious, but it's vicious in its approach, which seems more realistic to me for those on the ground, living it, Overused theme? Lets all kill Hitler.

CLEOPATRA

Because as much as it was a love story, it was also a war story - both civil and otherwise. Overused theme? That Cleopatra was an intelligent but seductive woman who had no choice but to bed up with Rome in order to save her skin, and her throne. It does work in this movie, but not for history's sake: Cleopatra was an intelligent woman of average looks that had a commanding presence of both intimidating intellect and power, that formed strategic and assured (with heirs) alliances to gain world power through Rome.

300
Pure, raw, fighting for a cause. Right or wrong. Overused theme: Men in loin cloths bred to fight to the death don't care about armor--just their honor. Yes, it works. For me, anyway...

GLADIATOR

What happens to a man's soul after fighting campaigns and then enslavement as a result of fighting in those campaigns--sorta like our boys coming home from Vietnam and being trapped in a wheelchair, fighting the prisons of their minds after too much time in the jungle, or worse, as a POW. No love from home and country. Just a lot of forced murder to obtain freedom.

3. What themes are overused? And is it overused, or just truthful observation?

Overused themes? Not for me, no. Unless you want me to bitch about the Gladius not being historically accurate, but I'll leave that one to the newsgroup nerds.


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Check out Rain's forthcoming book, The Four Elements, with poetry also with Charlee Jacob, Linda Addison, and Marge Simon (pre-orders now avail).


Thanks Rain!



Don't forget to Pre-order SEAL Team 666 from your favorite store:


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