New Blog Announcement, & Farewell Tug & Tram Blogging

 Hello everyone, welcome back one last time to Tug & Tram Blogging. 

Now before anyone panics, NO. I'm not quitting blogging. I have decided, based on feedback from a friend, that I needed to change my name. Tug & Tram Blogging implies that the blog is about trains, when it isn't necessarily.

I was planning to rename Tug & Tram to my new blog, however, there was a problem with the url's of previous posts no longer working.

I don't want to make my old posts unreadable, so to keep this up as an archive, I decided it would be easier to make a new blog.

Allow me to introduce you to.... Conductor Pat's Perspective. 

You can continue to follow me on my writing journey over there, and my social media will be the same. I hope that you all will continue with me. If not, thank you for following me over the past few years, it has been a lot of fun and I have enjoyed my time on here. Thanks again everyone, and I'll see you on the Tramway. 

My Thoughts on Zack Snyder's "Justice League: Snyder Cut"

 Welcome back to the Tramway,

Happy April everyone. I hope that spring is arriving in your area and that you're also able to enjoy the warm weather. 

Today I wish to do a different post where I simply share my thoughts on a movie. This isn't a review per se. As a writer (and not a film major) I don't think I have the knowledge to fairly review a movie. I'll leave that to others. I will try and look at it from a story point, though this won't be a deep analysis.

So over the weekend I watched Justice League: Snyder Cut.

By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=66547027

In case you are not familiar, Zack Snyder was removed from the movie Justice League in 2017, due to a personal tragedy and executives being unpleased with his vision. After a multi-year online fan campaign, HBO Max gave him additional resources to finish the film. The legendary Snyder Cut is now real and available to stream.

I never thought the Snyder Cut would happen. I was skeptical that the studio would give Snyder the resources, and thought that the fans were acting entitled. While there certainly was some of the latter, there was a genuine passion to see Snyder's vision finished.

Now that I've seen the film, I understand a bit more why. Compared to Joss Whedon's version of the film that came out in theaters, the Snyder Cut is an improvement. There's less awkward jokes, and characters introduced in the film, The Flash and Cyborg, feel more developed. And Steppenwolf's redesign looks much better than the gray villain who looked like he accidentally fell into the DC universe from a Skyrim game. 

The Snyder Cut's improvements weren't enough to turn me around on Snyder's vision for DC, unfortunately. I went in with low expectations (I was not a fan of Man of Steel, the first film Snyder directed in the current DC universe, and the end of Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice infuriated me) and some bias. 

I grew up with the DC animated Justice League show, and the Cartoon Network Teen Titans show, so I had expectations of how the characters should act. The Snyder Cut wasn't as bad as I feared, though it was still too much like the 2017 theatrical cut for it to win me over.

It was great to see Henry Cavill have some fun with the role of Superman (and a few smiles, which were greatly appreciated. Superman is a boy scout, a frown doesn't really suit him for me). 

My criticism of the theatrical cut (another gray villain, Snyder's saturated color pallet that makes the superheroes outfits not pop) are still here. Granted, I expected the color pallet, since it is part of Snyder's style, and that comes down to my personal preference. 

I was also not a fan of the epilogue, which felt like a set up for films we will not see. Snyder planned to have two more films in his trilogy, including an evil Superman (which was set up in Batman vs Superman), and time travel. Though now that Warner Bros and Snyder have parted ways, we're likely never going to see that sequel. Granted, I said the same thing about the Snyder Cut, but there's a difference between $30 million and a budget for a blockbuster.

Perhaps we'll see a comic adaptation, or an animated movie. While both have their expenses (animation in particular) it may be more plausible than pushing for another live action movie.

In general, I feel somewhat indifferent towards the Snyder Cut. I feel more excited to see DC films directed by other directors like James Wan (director of Aquaman) and David S. Sandberg (director of Shazam!). I don't regret seeing the Snyder Cut, but I also don't feel blown away or have a "Endgame moment" as I'm sure fans of Snyder's previous work did. 

Which is all right. Art speaks to people differently, and we're allowed to have different reactions. While mine was less passionate, for some, this was their equivalent of Avengers Endgame. I'm glad that fans were able to get closure for Snyder's trilogy of DC films. If you are a "Snyder Fan," I hope that the Snyder Cut lived up to your expectations.

And additional credit where credit is due, Snyder included several characters of color that were cut (due to time) from the original cut. I hope that characters such as Cyborg are able to get additional films. While I may not be the biggest fan of their set up, I enjoyed Aquaman's film, and he was introduced in Justice League. Though given DC recently cancelled two films, the future for these characters is uncertain. 

That's all of my thoughts on the Snyder Cut. Have you seen the Snyder Cut? What did you think of it? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you for reading, and I'll see you on the Tramway. 

Tramway Reviews #4: Color Me In

 Welcome back to the Tramway, and welcome to another Tramway Review. 

Today, I will be sharing my thoughts on "Color Me In" by Natasha Díaz. 

Image ⓒ Penguin Random House, Used under fair use.

Synopsis

"Color Me In" is a first person story following Neveah, a biracial teenager as her parents divorce, and she struggles with the tension of her two cultures: Black and Jewish. Things get more complicated when her father decides she needs to have a late bat mitzvah, and she runs into conflict with her cousin who perceives her as privileged. 

All the while Neveah tries to survive at a predominantly white private school. Neveah does have some privilege, because she can pass as white, which comes up in the story in a few occasions, and we follow Neveah reckoning with that. 

General Thoughts

I loved "Color Me In," and found it to be a very fast read. Ms. Díaz's writing is sharp, and vivid. I could easily imagine the scenarios Neveah and the other characters found themselves in. I also found Neveah to be a well rounded character, along with supporting characters such as Stevie, her best friend (who's also biracial) and Jordan, her cousin. 

While I found myself getting frustrated with Jordan's treatment of Neveah throughout the piece, she never came off as 100% a jerk. That's another testament to Ms. Díaz's storytelling: she makes complicated characters. We see this as Neveah is forced to confront the privilege that her skin tone gives her, while she tries to forge her new identity. And by the end, the conflict between her and her cousin resolves in a satisfying way. (Though I won't be saying how because spoilers).

"Color Me In" made me pause and think. (Minor spoiler ahead for the next two paragraphs). In one of the chapters a police officer approaches Neveah (whose grocery shopping with her Uncle) and makes a horrific racist assumption because he thinks she's white. 

As a white male, I've never experienced being with someone in public and people thinking that I was potentially forcing that person to be there. The inclusion of the scene (which Ms. Díaz shares in the back of her book was based on a real life experience) forces you to think about the problems with policing in our country. Other serious themes that come up that demand reflection are gentrification and beauty standards.

Content Warnings

There are a few trigger/content warnings for "Color Me In." Part of the plot revolves around racial issues, such as the ones mentioned in the previous paragraphs, including a life threatening scenario, along with microaggressions. Other content warnings are abusive spouse and sexual assault.

Ms. Díaz handles these themes with respect and care. I'm sure that she spent a lot of time doing her research and pulling from her personal experiences to craft the story.

Final Thoughts

Throughout we see the negative and positive sides to both the Baptist and Jewish communities that Neveah interacts with. I haven't had much experience with either culture, and appreciated getting to learn more about them as Neveah does. By the end, Neveah finds a way to unite her shared heritages and find self acceptance and love, along with some romantic love.

I loved following Neveah's arc through the story. By the end she feels like a very different character, who has grown a great deal. She ensures agency for herself and the people around her, which makes her an extremely likeable protagonist.

I highly recommend reading "Color Me In." Its story and characters will pull you in, and you will not want to put down this book. 

Rating: 5/5 Stars

If you wish to buy "Color Me In," please consider supporting your local bookstore. You can also find "Color Me In" on bookshop.org. 

Have you read "Color Me In?" What are your thoughts? Let me know in the comments here on Blogger, or any of my social media. Links are on the right side of the blog. Thank you for reading this review, and I'll see you on the Tramway. 

Mid-March Update: New Author Website?, Lady Luck & What Else I've Been Up To

 Hello everyone,

Welcome back to Tug & Tram blogging. Apologies for the lack of content recently. As I believe I've mentioned before, I'm currently working on wrapping up my senior year. School has to take priority, and while I miss writing on here, I have to keep my grades up. I'm sure you all understand.

While I have a bit of free time, I wanted to give you all a quick update.

New Website?

For one of my classes I had to work on a website to act as a portfolio, and I decided to try a new website designer program. I've previously used wordpress, which has it's pros and cons (I like the professional looking url, but found it hard to modify my website). 

I tried wix, which I used for my presentation. Again, pros and cons (I found wix easier to use, but the url isn't that professional looking). I've received mixed feedback on what to use: wordpress or wix. I'm not sure which I will end up picking, though I do know I need to improve my website building skills. If anyone has recommendations, whether they be articles or videos, feel free to share them.

While I'm on this topic, I am toying with the idea of moving the blog onto my website. I've seen several writers have their blogs on their websites to drive interest to their longer form writing, and build a devoted following. If I do move it to my website, I hope that fans on here will follow there as well. 

Lady Luck

My senior project Lady Luck is coming along nicely. I'm currently working on talking with my book designer and book cover artist for final touches. I hope to reveal my cover to you all in the near future. I'm very excited with how the project is turning out. 

Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 and scheduling, my department decided to cancel our book release party. Instead, we're going to do a reading at the academic symposium, and sell our books at the art sale that will happen in April. While I am sad to not have the book release, I'm still glad we can share our works. 

Plus, I may be able to share a link so that you can see me read my book. There is unfortunately no options to buy the book online, which we are slightly looking into, so I'll let you know if that becomes an option.

Everything Else

I'm currently reading "Discerning Grace" by Emma Lombard (who had a guest post, go and look for that in case you missed it) and I'm really enjoying it. I'm not a romance enthusiast, but I do like history, and I can appreciate a good love story. Emma's writing is superb, and I can't wait to read more of it.

I'm also reading "Color Me In" by Natasha Díaz. It's a young adult story about a biracial teen and the struggles she faces when her parents split up. It's written in first person, and is one of the best YA books I've read recently. Make sure you grab a copy of both of these books if you're interested. 

That's about it for where I'm at currently. I hope that things are going well in your lives. Have you had a time where real life got in the way of your creativity? Let me know in the comments. And be sure to follow me on my social media links on the right hand of the blogger page. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you on the Tramway. 

Guest Blog: Help Readers Discover New Books—Leave a Helpful Book Review

Guest blog by Emma Lombard

How Do You Decide to Read a Book? 

Is it the cover? The blurb? Or do you dive straight into the reviews? Perhaps you use a combination of all three.

Now imagine if one of those options was missing. Would you still be as enthusiastic if there was no cover or blurb to hint at the deliciousness inside? Would you trust forking out your hard-earned cash on a debut book by a new author if you couldn’t see what other readers thought about it first?

If you’re a bit of a rebel, you might; but this study shows that the average consumer reads 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a business.

This trust is something you as a reader helps build for other readers when you leave a book review.

You Have the Power!

That sounds pretty awesome, doesn’t it? Because it’s true! 

Your honest reviews of the books you read empowers other readers to make informed decisions about whether those books are right for them. Even comments that may be perceived as a negative comment by some—“The antagonist was more like a pantomime villain” or “I would categorize this story as being in the ‘coffee break’ style of historical fiction rather than the heavier end of the genre such as Phillipa Gregory and Hilary Mantel”—might appeal to some readers who are looking for a light-hearted read. Your honesty helps paint clearer expectations for others.

But What Do You Say?

Your review only needs to be a few sentences.

Fine! But I’ve never written a book review before, so how do I do it?

Email me, and I’ll send you a FREE Book Review Form—no strings attached.

This form will prompt you to jot down a couple of thoughts. Then you simply copy and paste those sentences together, and voila, you have a helpful book review in just a few minutes.

Where Do You Leave Reviews?

Nearly everyone knows about leaving book reviews on Amazon, but sometimes the Big Zon doesn’t always play nicely, and your well-penned review can vaporise without warning. Also, the Big Zon doesn’t let you leave a review on a book you received as a gift, or received as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy), or borrowed from the library—if you haven’t met the minimum $50 spend limit. Phooey!

Luckily, you can leave reviews on several other sites that don’t have any spend-limit restrictions: Barnes & Noble — Kobo — Apple — Google Play. Heck, if you’re feeling generous, you could throw your review on all those sites.

Why Bother Writing Reviews?

Besides helping other readers make good choices, reviews also keep books coming from your favourite authors. If an author doesn’t have reviews (which lead to sales), then that author might not have the opportunity to write another book—what a loss for the readers who love that author’s work!

Want a New Book to Practise Your Review Writing on?

As the first full-length novel in The White Sails Series, Discerning Grace captures the spirit of an independent woman whose feminine lens blows the ordered patriarchal decks of a 19th century tall ship to smithereens. Grab yourself a copy here. 

Sign up to my newsletter (By the Book) and be the first to find out about future book releases in The White Sails Series.

Remember to email me for your FREE Book Review Form that will make the review process simple, quick, and painless.

You’ll be making a significant contribution to the entire reader, author, and publishing community! Thank you!

Image ⓒ Emma Lombard

AUTHOR BIO 

Emma Lombard was born in Pontefract in the UK. She grew up in Africa—calling Zimbabwe and South Africa home for a few years—before finally settling in Brisbane Australia, and raising four boys. Before she started writing historical fiction, she was a freelance editor in the corporate world, which was definitely not half as exciting as writing rollicking romantic adventures. Her characters are fearless seafarers, even though in real life Emma gets disastrously sea sick. Discerning Grace, is the first book in The White Sails Series.

Connect with Emma: Website – Twitter – Facebook – Instagram – Goodreads 

Tramway Reviews #3: They Called us Enemy

Welcome back to the Tramway,

and welcome back to another entry of Tramway Reviews. This' a book I wanted to read for a long time, and I'm glad I finally got to it. I finished it Monday August 24th, 2020, and felt so inspired to write a review that I've written this before the (now published) second review in the series.

    Today, I will be reviewing "They Called Us Enemy," By George Takei, with Steven Scott, and art by Harmony Becker.

They Called us Enemy cover. Ⓒ Penguin Random House, Cover used under fair use.

    "They Called us Enemy follows the story of George Takei's family as they're forced from their home during World War II to the Japanese Internment camps, that President FDR made legal with Executive Order 9066. The story follows the difficult decisions that Takei and other families had to make while behind barbed wire, facing racism around them.

    I love this book. It's one of the most important comics I've read. "They Called us Enemy" is in the genre of autobiography comics, and is as important as Art Spiegelman's "Maus." "They Called us Enemy" gives us a window into the past and one of America's darkest sins. We see the cruel living spaces, the dehumanizing effect of internment, and how the Japanese American community responded.

    One thing I learned from the book was that the US allowed some Japanese Americans to serve, albeit in a segregated unit, and they fought courageously in Europe against the Nazis. There's an irony of fighting for freedom for a country that stole yours away, preluding to the Vietnam War...

    Another thing I learned is that Japanese Americans could rescind their citizenship, though the motives behind the offer was racist. Essentially, America wanted to do a prisoner exchange with Japan for US citizens held by the Japanese Empire. In reality, Japanese Americans were extorted to rescind their citizenship to stay with their families in the camp, for fear of anti-Japanese Racism outside of the camps.

    Takei's story pulls at your heart. To continue, we move into minor spoilers for the biography. (Minor spoilers for the next two paragraphs)

New Year's Resolutions & General Update

Welcome to the Tramway,

Hello readers. Thank you for reading today's post for Tug & Tram Blogging. Did you have a safe new year’s eve? I hope that, however you celebrated, you had a fun, but safe, time. 

Firstly, I want to give a big thank you to everyone who has read my Lady Luck novella preview. In case you missed my last post, as a Christmas Eve "gift" I published the first chapter of Lady Luck for FREE. You can still go read it, to get an idea of what the novella will look like.

While the project has another round of editing to go through, this time from my school's publication board (the Pinchpenny Press), I feel confident about the novella. Thanks as always to my friend and colleague Cristina Jantz of tidbitediting.com for her editing and feedback.

Moving on to our next topic, I've noticed that writers often post writer’s new year resolutions. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, here’s new year writing resolutions.

Christmas Eve Book Preview: Lady Luck

 Welcome to Tug & Tram Blogging. 

Happy Holidays! Isn’t it insane to think a year has passed? Thank goodness and good riddance!

While I haven’t been able to post on here as often as I would have liked to, I appreciate you, dear readers, for sticking with me. I hope that next year is better for you and your families.

Today, I’d like to celebrate the holiday season, and reaching 2,500 followers on Twitter, with a chapter reveal! That’s right, here’s the first look at my senior project, Lady Luck (working title). 

Special thanks to Cristina Jantz, who helped to edit and provide feedback on the project. If you would like to work with Cristina, reach out to her on tidbitediting.com. Now, onto the chapter. 

Lady Luck

Chapter 1: The Jenkville Blitz

April 2, 1941

Brenda Banks stepped out of the limo in her red dress and matching heels. Her small black hat, complete with a feather and a veil, covered the left side of her face. Tonight was for dancing and having fun. She needed a break once in a while, and the Jenkville Lindyhop was the perfect place for doing just that.

Several young men smoking by the entrance in colorful zoot suits turned to stare at her. They cat-called and fanned themselves with their hats. 

Brenda ignored them until one tried to slap her rear. She grabbed his arm and pinned him to the ground. “Excuse me! Hands to yourself!”

The man swore at her. Brenda twisted his arm further.

“All right, all right! Sorry!” he blurted.

With a smirk, Brenda waltzed inside.

---

Hundreds of miles away, the Tokyo-Jenkville goods was stalled over the Pacific Ocean.

“Engine trouble,” the conductor reported. He opened a secret panel and pulled a red lever. 10 freight cars collapsed to reveal four gray German AR-197 biplanes and two zeppelin cabs. Crewmen marched from the rear cars into the zeppelins. 

A short man in a black SS uniform watched the operation. The zeppelins, the Graf, and the Amerika took to the air, each carrying two AR-197s.

You war profiteering’s come to haunt you, America, Commandant Grendel thought.

---

Brenda danced with different men all night. After rejecting five minks, three diamond rings, and a golden necklace, she escaped into the cool night air. 

Peecolo tapped the steering wheel as he waited outside. He was thoroughly startled when Brenda jumped through the rear open window, trying to avoid twelve more men. 

“Step on it!” she cried.

Peecolo roared away from the Jenkville Lindyhop. “Where to now, madam?” 

“Home.” Brenda leaned back against the seat and sighed. “Is this all my life is? Dancing, harassment by bachelors only looking for Father’s money, inheriting an empire?” 

Peecolo shook his head. He craned his neck to examine a shadow that had just appeared above them. “Odd! Isn’t that blimp a bit low?” 

Brenda opened up the sunroof. She could just make out a...red swastika?  

Then the first bomb dropped.

Brenda immediately closed the sunroof to avoid the shower of asphalt and glass. She and Peecolo screamed at the top of their lungs. 

“Hold on!” Peecolo slammed on the gas as more bombs hurtled toward Jenkville.

The AR-197s roared to the Navy dockyard. Before the alarm could be raised, they dropped four torpedoes. One struck the quayside, but the rest hit their target. The USS Jenkville’s cargo erupted in flames.

Peecolo swerved around a burning car, honking to alert the throng of people. Residents were setting up bucket brigades to save their homes. 

Brenda was glued to the window. “Wait! Stop!”

Once the car skidded to a halt, Brenda ran to a Black police officer, who was tossing debris into the air.

“Peecolo, help us! There’s a kid under here!” Brenda pulled a terrified four-year-old from the rubble while the officer and Peecolo held up the debris. “It’s all right. You’re going to be okay.” 

“Carol? Carol?!” a nearby woman shrieked. 

“She’s over here, madam!” Peecolo shouted. 

The woman ran up and took her daughter from Brenda. “Oh, sweetheart!” She turned to Peecolo and Brenda. “Thank you!” 

“Thank you both. I appreciate it,” the officer said. “But you’d best head for safety.”

Brenda stared up at the blimps. You monsters will pay for what you’ve done.

---

Want to know what happens next? Stay tuned! Lady Luck will be released in the Spring of 2021.

Thank you for reading. What did you think of Chapter 1? Let me know on my social media pages. The links are available on the right hand bar. Thank you again, and I’ll see you on the Tramway.

October Update: Editing, Page Counts, & Classes

Hello everyone,

welcome back to the Tug & Tram Blogging. I hope that you all are doing well during this very stressful year. As you can see, it has been a while since I have posted. If you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I have been taking a bit of a break for my mental health, and to focus on school. 

    Today, I'm working on my senior project (more below) at my college's library. There's an awesome view of the fountain, which I took. (You can see more photos like this on my Instagram, see the credits at the end)

    I'm taking a short break, and felt like now was a good time to give you all some updates on my life and writing.

    Life has been hectic, in particular because of the year we're living in. I have been keeping my grades up, and I'm adjusting well to apartment life. There has been hard times, but I've gotten through them, with thanks to my counselor. 

    Is it October already? Where has the time gone? I can't believe that the semester is almost over already. Like many colleges, mine has had to adapt to stay open. For us, part of that means we're closing earlier, and not having any breaks. Which means that I have less time to get my senior project finished.

    

    I freaked out about the length, and elements I was concerned were underdeveloped. However, thanks to help from my advisor and editor (thanks again Cristina!!) we're working on cutting the length down. The current goal, which my advisor recommended, 75 pages. 

    Now, bare in mind that my first draft was 124 pages, and the trimmed down version is 100, which is a very rough 100 pages roughed down (with chapters and characters chopped out). However, once I started working on Draft 3 today, its starting to come together. 

    It certainly won't be a single person job. If I've realized anything on my senior project, it's how much collaborative writing projects are. Without my editor and feedback, I wouldn't be able to complete the project. I have also realized I have a lot more to learn regarding writing, and I hope to continue learning. I'm ready to learn, and hope to continue improving. Thanks to everyone whose helped along the way, or offered encouragement. 

    Before I wrap up, I want to talk about the blog a bit. I'd like to say I'll be able to go back to a regular schedule, unfortunately, the semester is only going to get busier. Another problem is, when I move home, I won't have internet again (unless I can help my Mom get that set up and paid for). So once the semester ends, I may go quiet again. I will try and post when I can, though when I will post again is uncertain.

    I hope that you will stick around, and thank you to those who have. Question for my fellow writers, have you ever had to trim down a project before? How much did you end up trimming? And for non writers, what's the longest you've worked on a project?

    Thanks for reading. If you wish to follow me on social media, you can find me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. If you'd like to connect with me professionally, please consider connecting on LinkedIn, mention that you came from Tug & Tram Blogging. 

    Special thanks again to Cristina Jantz for helping me edit my project. If you would also like to get editing feedback from Ms. Jantz, go to tidbitediting.com 

    Thank you all for reading, and I'll see you on the Tramway.

Tramway Reviews #2: March by John Lewis

Hey folks, 

before we begin, I'd like to dedicate this post to the late Congressman John Lewis, and Chadwick 

Boseman. We lost two great people this year, and let us not forget to keep fighting for equality in all 

fields, entertainment and in our government. Rest in Power gentlemen, rest in power. 

August Update & Life on Campus in Covid (+ Friend Business Shout Out)

Welcome back to the Tramway,

and welcome back to another update post. I must say, it's good to be back on campus, in particular having internet. 

For those who don't know or missed my last post, my family recently moved and we haven't been able to afford internet at our new house yet. So my only way to go onto the internet was to walk through the July heat to a place with WiFi. Now that I'm back on college, I can be more active again.

I was thankful to move onto campus early to work, as part of the Campus Activity Council, and we held several events for the freshman during New Student Orientation week. Which didn't always go to plan.

Our first event, a scavenger hunt, got rained on, which made holding the paper for the hunt pretty hard. However, we persevered and everyone had a fun time. 

That was a lot more fun than helping freshman move in. From 9-1 pm, upperclassmen carried bags, laundry baskets, mini fridges and suitcases to elevators or upstairs. By the end of the event, I was exhausted.

The next event, and highlight of my weekend, was bubble soccer. Bubble soccer was comical, as freshman bumped into each other trying to score. We had a smart bullhorn and we played music across it when a team scored.

One of the Bubble Soccer games. Image Ⓒ Patrick Webb

I didn't participate myself, but I did help get the ball when it went through the goals (see above), so that way our players didn't have to run awkwardly in it. The teams had pretty good names, like Team Pineapple. One was team Covid! When the other team played against them, they were saying to each other "All right, we can't let Covid win. 

Covid didn't end up winning, and all around it was a fun event. We thankfully were able to keep everyone wearing their masks, and we had a lot of people participate and watching. One of the highlights was some freshman who commentated the games over the bullhorn. That was hilarious to watch, as they played it straight. 

Me and most of the members of CAC after the event. You can see me on the left with the white and pink hat. (Names withheld to protect their privacy)

In other news, adjusting to life on campus has been pretty good. I'm living in the apartments this semester, which's a BIG improvement over my last dorm room. I also appreciate my apartment mates, or as we call ourselves the "Soviet Republic of the Lad's Den." 

Don't ask me how we got that name.

All right, fine. We started as the Lad's Den, then Jeremiah decided that (since we're sharing food) that qualifies us a communists. Hence our name. I certainly am not going to complain about it, I think the name is hilarious, and I hope you do as well.

Today was the first day of class, and I had two classes: Writing for Media and War and Peace in 20th Century Europe. Both classes implemented social distancing in the classroom (Writing for Media has been split into two groups, and War & Peace has two students zooming in). Both classes had the desks 1 per person, and we all had to wear masks. 

I thankfully have a comfortable mask, though it was weird to wear it for so long. I was used to not wearing one because I spent most of my summer in my house, though I am adjusting quite well to it.

All right, let's go back to updates for writing. 

Over the summer I finished/started writing a few projects just for fun. I wrote a few Urban Fantasy Detective stories, a slice of life urban fantasy (lotta Urban Fantasy, I don't know why), and my Thomas & Friends inspired series. I also worked on a homage to Samurai Jack (and maybe Star Wars?) plus Usagi Yojimbo, plus a short story in the same universe of the former. 

I'm withholding the names at present (no offense readers, I trust you. It's the REST of the internet I don't trust). Most I wrote on paper, so I need to type them up before I can work on them further.

Currently, I need to work on research and editing of Lady Luck, my senior project. To do the research, I got "They Called us Enemy," written by George Takei of Star Trek fame. As I've mentioned before, because my story is set in the 1940's, I felt it would be immoral to not discuss the Japanese Internment that the US inflicted onto Japanese Americans.

The main concern for me is portraying it accurately and sensitively. I'll probably reach out to my college community and see if there's any Japanese Americans who are willing to be sensitivity readers of my book, to make sure I get it right. 

There's also several topics I need to do more research on, such as 1940's culture in Oregon, where I base the fictional town of Jenkville, along with African American cops in the 1940's, weapons, etc. 

If you have any suggestions for books to read about WWII, please let me know in the comments or on one of my many social medias. 

All right, I think that about wraps up recent events in my life. I hope you all are doing well. Are you adjusting back to campus life, or regular life? Let me know on Twitter or Facebook. If you'd like to connect with me professionally, please consider connecting on LinkedIn, mention that you came from Tug & Tram Blogging. 

Thanks for reading everyone, and I'll...

You didn't really think I was going to forget my third topic did you? 😝 

Jokes aside, I wish to give a shout out to my friend Cristina Jantz's company tidbitediting.com. Tidbit Editing is a service for high quality editing. Cristina offers a fair price for proof reading, $4 per page for novels, $3 for short stories, stage plays or picture books, $2 for blog posts and $5 for screen plays. 

I can personally recommend Cristina's editing skills. She helped me with a lot of my papers and projects during college. Without her, one of my short stories would not have been published. She knows how to raise your stories to the next level. You can find her email and contact information on her website above. Best of luck with your business Cristina!

All right, that will truly be all for me this post folks. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you on the Tramway!

July Update (Or Why I Disappeared from Internetland)

Welcome back to the Tramway,

I hope you are all doing well in the very chaotic year we're living in at present. And speaking of chaotic, that's part of why I've been gone. 

My last blog update was on June 1st, and since then I haven't been on here or anywhere else on the internet. And the reason for that is a lack of internet. My family had to move, let's just say because of "unhealthy landlord relationships," but it's for the best, we have more space and we're closer to friends and family.

The only downside is that we can't afford internet at present because of a lot of unexpected costs, in particular for my Mom's truck, which is her income source. While it is frustrating not being able to continue working online writing (blogs and fiction writing), along with talking to friends, I understand the situation, and I'm not going to complain. 

Until I move back onto campus, there probably won't be any blog posts in the near future. (I'm visiting a friend at the moment, hence this post existing at all). I hope you will all wait around for me to return, because I have some good ideas for topics, and want to keep everyone updated on my senior project, Lady Luck. 

Speaking of Lady Luck, I have shared the project with a friend who offered to help me with copy editing, to get the grammar, content, etc. up to snuff, as the saying goes. In the meantime I hope to plan out what I need to research for draft 2, and might brainstorm campus-marketing ideas. I would like it to be available to buy online, but my college doesn't have that in place, so we'll have to wait and see. In any case, I appreciate you all for reading about the project, and for any interest shown.

While on the topic of writing projects, I've found that I write a lot more without distractions from the internet. I used to think that I could write pretty well listening to music or podcasts. While I think that's true, without the endless possibilities for distractions (minus the TV in the background) I've found myself filling up notebook after notebook with ideas. In some ways I've become desperate for paper to write on!

Maybe it's because I don't have anything else to do, and my mind's so desperate for productivity that I've been writing so much, but I'm happy with the content I've made so far. I hope, when I'm taking a break from school and Lady Luck, to work on older projects I've been struggling to complete for years. I'll provide you more details in the future when those projects are farther along. 

That's all for me today. I hope to interact with you all more in the future. Until then, stay safe, and I'll see you on the Tramway. 

Lady Luck Senior Project Update, & Dealing with Allergies (AKA, Life Update)

Welcome back to the Tramway!

Happy June 1st everyone!! I hope that you're all doing well, and that if you are hurting, that you can find some peace and healing. There's obviously a lot going on right now, and there's a lot of hurt. I hope that you can find a little break from life by reading this post. (#BlackLivesMatter still btw)

First, an update on my Senior Project.

Lady Luck Senior Project Update

Image Credit: Art by Klaus Nordling. By Source, Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4326710

So last week I met with my advisor to discuss what I wanted to do for my final project. If you've been following my blog for some time, you will know that I have been working on a retelling of forgotten Golden Age character Lady Luck. (Link here for my character history post if you want to learn more, though please note it's an older one, and may not be up to my current blog standards). 

I'm not going to lie, I was a bit nervous that the project would be too long to take on. Given that we're living through a pandemic, I didn't want to stress out my advisor or the student writing board (who will help me edit, plan and ultimately decided whether to green light it or not).

But enough dread, good news!! My advisor gave me the green light, The Iluckstrious Adventures of Lady Luck, Volume 1 "The Monorail Conspiracy" (or whatever the title ends up being) is a go! 

I was pleased to hear the news, and that she feels it will be a good way for me to end my college career. I've begun work on the second draft. Draft 2 has mostly included copying and pasting, then editing down chapters word length, trimming unnecessary scenes, adding a few lines, and noting spots that will need more research. 

My goal is to keep the book to 10 chapters, and around 100 pages. The shorter the book is, the cheaper it will be to publish/make the actual book. I have some crazy ideas for marketing on campus, but only time will tell if those come to fruition. For now, I'm going to focus on Draft 2. 

I've taken a bit of a break this weekend from Lady Luck and worked on another book project, with my oldest character Johnny. I'm making good progress on that project as well, though it's just a first draft. For now, Johnny and Friends is on the back burner.

All right, onto the next "segment."

Allergies (Life Update)

Have I written about this before? I'm getting a strong sense of dejavu, such as my Patrick Hates Clay Dust "rant" from last summer. Moving on.

So this weekend my allergies decided to kick in, real hard. My nasal allergy spray has lost effect on my allergies, and I've been sneezing my head off since Sunday. Thankfully, my family has another allergy medicine in stock, so I'm using that instead. Thank goodness for 24 hour allergy medicine, and one I don't have to snort up my nose. (Though I will miss the snorting my drugs jokes I've been making). 

If you suffer from allergies, you have my empathy. I know your struggle. And if you don't have allergies, good for you. Feel lucky, because you are.

All right, enough kidding around. I'm doing okay, all things considered. My allergies are under control, though my nose is congested. And real talk, there's much more serious things going on in the world, so thank you for indulging in my silly allergy "rant."

Well folks, I'm going to keep this post short, and maybe go relax a little bit. Thank you all for reading, I appreciate you giving me some of your time. If you want to interact, you can find me on Facebook, Twitter, and also Goodreads. (I've had it for a while, but haven't really been advertising it. So if you want to discuss books, send me a friend request, and let me know you came from here, so I don't think you're a rando). 

Thanks again everyone, and I'll see you on the Tramway!

Batwoman: The History, Legacy & All the Knockoffs

Disclaimer: Hey folks, Blogger is updating their format, so if any elements seem wonky, I apologize. I'm still trying to adjust to the new format, which I'm liking, though missing tools like the emojis. Please bare with me during this time of transition. Thank you, now back to your daily scheduled blog post.

Welcome back to the Tramway!

And welcome back to another Character History post, where I talk about the history of characters, usually from comic books.

Today, I break the trend of covering golden age/public domain characters and discuss a larger, mainstream character. We're digging into the history of Batwoman, from her bonkers real life origin and the knock offs. Trust me, it's gonna get weird! I wanted to talk about Batwoman because I recently became a fan through the CW TV show, and I decided to investigate her history.

Detective Comics #860 textless cover. Image Credit: DC, used under the Wikipedia Creative Commons Share Alike License. Fair use, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22388623

With the news that Ruby Rose is leaving the show (that makes me the big sad) I wanted to discuss the history of the character, and now seemed like an appropriate time.

But before we do that, let's discuss mainstream Batwoman's origins.

DC Batwoman: Origins

 Image Credit: DC, Comic Vine

Now, if you're familiar with Batwoman from the CW show, than you're going to be really confused by the picture above. Whose this weird, yellow Batwoman? Brace yourselves....

Batwoman, alias Kathy Kane, first appeared in Detective Comics No. 233, published in 1956. She was created by Bob Kane (co-creator of Batman) and Sheldon Moldoff, according to Comic Vine. Before we get into the reason she was invented, let's discuss who she is as a character.

Kathy Kane was basically Robin and Batman's origins rolled into one character. She worked at a circus, was the heir to a wealthy family, and was inspired by Batman. She decided to become Batwoman, though Batman was not impressed, because he feared for her safety. (You gotta love the 50's). However, Kathy persevered, and eventually became accepted by the Cape Crusader. Her niece, Betty Kane, found out about her secret, and became the first comic Bat Girl. That's right, Barbara Gordon is NOT the first Bat Girl.

And even then, Batwoman (who let me remind you, was discouraged from being Batwoman) tries to discourage her! How do you spell double standards? I mean, she is pretty young, but also... Batman has Robin. You know, once you start trying to bring logic to comics, it starts to fall apart.

The original Batwoman and Bat Girl. Image Credit: DC Wiki. https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Katherine_Kane_(Earth-One)

The introduction of Batwoman and Bat Girl would begin to expand the dynamic duo into what would become known as the Bat family. More characters were added, and still are to this day.

Kathy Kane Batwoman with the Bat Family. Image Credit: DC Wiki.
https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Katherine_Kane_(Earth-One)

However, there were more sinister (or dare I say, stupid) reasons behind Batwoman's creation. According to History.com, Batwoman was created by DC for a very specific reason. It wasn't, as you might suspect, to protect the copyright and ensure no one created a Batwoman character before DC could.

The reason? They were afraid people would say Batman and Robin were gay.

And no, I am NOT making this up.

The "fear" of Batman being percieved as gay came from the book Seduction of the Innocent, written in 1954 by German psychiatrist Fredric Wertham, according to History.com. Wertham is known as the boogey man of comics. Because of Dr. Wertham, comics had to self censor themselves with the Comics Code Authority, due to the unfair and idiotic accusations that comics were making kids criminals and were destroying their spiritual health.

Dr. Wertham is proof that old white men don't understand popular culture, and shouldn't try and censor what they don't understand. Especially when, like Wertham, you base your claims on inaccurate research. But let's get back to Batwoman.

To make Batman "safe," DC had to create a female love interest for him and Robin, hence why we have Batwoman. Overtime, when the power of the Comics Code Authority became more relaxed, the need for Batwoman decreased. So what do you do with a character you don't need? Have them retire happily? Make them a supporting character? No of course not, you kill them!

Batwoman was killed in 1979, and stayed dead after DC's reboot known as Crisis on Infinite Earth. Her death was apparently done by the League of Assassins according to DC Wiki, though Comic Vine states it was by Bronze Tiger. Comics continuity is very confusing.

I don't have any nostalgia for for Kathy Kane Batwoman, but her murder doesn't sit well with me. In particular how the DC Wiki says that Batman was motivated to avenge her death. This means that Kathy was fridged, a term created by comics writer Gail Simone. Essentially, the term (in reference to a Green Lantern comic, where a female love interest is murdered and stuffed in a fridge) means a female character is wounded or killed to motivate a male character.

Kathy Kane Batwoman would stay dead for over 30 years in comics, which, given how much characters are brought back to life, is pretty impressive. However, when she was rebooted for modern day comics, she was reinvented in a much more imaginative way, and one that would make Dr. Wertham spin in his grave.

DC Batwoman: Reboot/Modern 

Kate Kane would be the next Batwoman to grace the pages of comics. As you do with a reboot, her origin was changed from Kathy's.

Kate, who is Jewish, grew up as a military brat, according to Comic Vine. And she had a sister, Beth. On their 12th birthday, their car was crashed by terrorists, the Kanes were kidnapped. Kate's dad launched a rescue for them, but the mission ended in a near failure, their mother was dead, and Beth was (assumedly) dead, parodying Batman's origin, though making it her own.

Kate followed in her father's footsteps and joined the army, quickly climbing up the ranks. However, her career was cut short when she was accused of homosexuality.

Which was true. Yes, that's right. Batwoman, the character created to ward off fears of a gay Batman, became an open lesbian superhero. Cop that Wertham!

Kate had to resign, and this led her into a depression. To keep this post from being too long, I'm going to skip the crazier parts of her origin, and get to the meat of the story. After getting saved by Batman, Kate took inspiration from him, similar to her Pre-Crisis predecessor, and thus Batwoman was born. Kate became apart of the Bat Family over time, which is funny, because she is also Bruce Wayne (Batman)'s cousin.

Kate Kane Batwoman was created by several comics alum: Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid, and Ken Lashley. In short: the rebooted Batwoman was in good hands.

Batwoman's redesigned costume is, in my opinion, a LOT better than the original yellow costume. The new Batwoman costume is an all black suit with a red bat logo, with Kate also wearing a bright red wig. Another interesting difference (at least in some comics/cartoons) is that Batwoman carries a gun, but she doesn't kill, following Batman's code.

Batwoman #1 Cover. Image Credit: DC, By Source, Fair use, 

https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33182051

Now, to avoid spoilers for the CW show, I'm not going to go into the rest of the details of who Batwoman fights. If you are familiar with the show, you will know her main villain is Alice, who is a leader (in the comics) of a cult, whereas in the show its the Wonderland Gang. 

I'll offer my thoughts on the CW show at the end, for now, I want to discuss the knockoff Batwomen. And if you thought her real life creation origin was weird, get ready to continue down the rabbit hole of madness.

Batwoman Knockoffs

Whenever one has success, there's likely to be knockoffs that come along. And this' true for Batwoman. 

The first was the Wild World of Batwoman, "created" by Producer/Director Jerry Warren, according to Dark Corners Reviews. The Wild World of Batwoman was made in response to the popularity of the Batman 66 show, which ironically did not have a Batwoman (But it did have Bat Girl).

Batwoman, with a group of "special" agents, who are referred to as Bat Girl (insert number here), fight crime.... kind of. It's just trash. Katherine Victor, who plays Batwoman, had to make the costume herself, and it's not very good. She literally has a bat symbol over her cleavage painted with mascara. I don't recommend you try and hunt down the film, but I do recommend Dark Corner's review of it. He really points out the clanky, silly parts, and it's a really fun video. You can find the video here.

The second Bat-knockoff came in 1968 (and probably inspired by the Batman 66 series again) is.... Mexican Batwoman. Yep, you read that right.

The official title is The Batwoman, though it is often referred to as (officially and unofficially) The Mexican Batwoman. And if you thought the first Batwoman-knockoff's costume was bad, well... take a look at the poster below.

The Batwoman (1968) Poster. Image Credit: IMDB, www.imdb.com/title/tt0235608 

Yeah... it's not great. Yet somehow not as bad as that yellow original costume.

The plot for Mexican Batwoman is sillier than the previous knockoff. Here, Batwoman is called in to investigate the murder of several wrestlers. And unlike the Batfamily, Mexican Batwoman is willing to shoot anyone who gets in her way, according to BlameitonJorge.

I learned about Mexican Batwoman from BlameitonJorge, and I recommend you check out his channel. Unfortunately, he removed the video from his channel, but you can find it on Rob's Media Archive. I don't normally recommend watching reuploaded videos, but Jorge (as far as I know) hasn't stated anything about it, and it hasn't been taken down. Which makes sense, given Jorge's channel revolves partly around lost media, it seems fitting that it's been saved on another channel. You can find the video here.

That's all of the Batwoman knockoffs I could find, but I'm sure that there's more out there. If you know of any, let me know, and I might update the post.

All right, now for my final thoughts (and thoughts on the CW Show)

CW Show/Final Thoughts

I was introduced to Batwoman through the CW series, and I've fallen in love with the character through it. Ruby Rose as Batwoman is really fun to watch on screen, and I enjoy her cast of supporting characters. They have a lot of fun moments and their own motivations that make them compelling. Unfortunately, the season was cut short due to the Coronavirus Pandemic. I haven't seen the finale yet, because it has a crossover with Supergirl and I need to catch up on the latter show. 

The show starts off pretty slow, so if you're planning to watch it, be prepared to possibly slog through some episodes. The show picks up when she gets the full costume. Alice is a fun villain, who you sympathize with as the show reveals what happened to her, but you also realize that she needs to be stopped.

I'm really sad to see Ruby Rose go. I feel that she really looks like the character, and played the part with passion. I also hope that her reasons for leaving weren't due to the harassment she faced online when taking the role. I believe that she had an accident on set, which was the reason given. In any case, thank you for a great season Ms. Rose, and best of luck with your future projects. You'll always be Batwoman to me.

Overall, Batwoman is an interesting character. Starting off as way to ward off fears of a gay Batman, she was transformed into a symbol for representation. And that seems like a fitting fate for the character. (again, cop that Wertham!!) She's much more successful now, and doesn't appear to be going anywhere. With the popularity of superhero films, maybe we'll see her make a cinematic appearance. But that probably won't happen until Warner Bros. gets Batman re

I recommend you check out Batwoman (the official Batwoman, not the knockoffs) in any form. If you want a good jumping in point, I recommend Batman: Bad Blood, though that film has previous continuity from previous films. I'm not as familiar with her comics as I'd like to be (breaking into comics is unfortunately still hard, especially if you're on a budget) but if you can find a collection of her comics for a good price, consider checking her out, and maybe support a local comic book store. Like regular book stores, they're really struggling during these hard times.

All right, who wants some Fun Facts?

Fun Facts

Kate Kane Batwoman's first animated appearance was in the movie Batman: Bad Blood, as part of the current series of DC's Direct to DVD Universe, according to Comic Vine. However, it was not the first time a Batwoman appeared in an animated form.

In the DC Animated Universe (DCAU for short), Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, released in 2003, we see a similar looking Batwoman to Kate's but with a silver costume. That Batwoman (no spoilers) was a one off, which is really sad. I wonder if we'll ever get a Batwoman The Animated Series. I'd watch that. 

A Batwoman stand in, based on the original, appeared in the show Batman the Brave and the Bold.

Kate Kane's last name is a homage to Batman Co-creator Bob Kane. (Look, I had to fill the quota for fun facts, okay? Sue me XD )

Kathy Kane Batwoman returned to canon in the book Batman, Unlimited. I haven't read it yet, so I can't offer any thoughts on it, but it's fun to see her return. I personally think having her in the same universe as her successor could be weird. In my opinion, it would've made more sense to put her on a different Earth in a different universe. 

The Batgirl we all know and love, Barbara Gordon, actually appeared in the Batman 66 series first. 

Batwoman's first appearance on the CW was in the crossover series Elseworlds, which the first season of the show flash forwarded to. 

Thanks for reading this week's post. Have you seen Batwoman in any media form? What're your thoughts on the character? Let me know on Blogger, Facebook, or Twitter. If you enjoyed this character history post, please consider sharing it on your preferred social media(s), so we can build the Tug & Tram Community. Thanks, and I'll see you on the Tramway!

Sources:

"Batwoman." DC Wiki. https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Katherine_Kane_(Earth-One)

BlameitonJorge. "8 Bootleg Superhero Movies." 

     www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuPcfGWm8fk&t=353s

Ciampagla, Dante A. "Fear of a Gay Batman Brought Batwoman to Life." History.com 16 August,      

     2018. Updated 12 June, 2019. www.history.com/news/gay-batman-fears-batwoman 

Dark Corner Reviews. "The Wild World of Batwoman." 27 January, 2020. 

"Kathy Kane." Comic Vine. https://comicvine.gamespot.com/kathy-kane/4005-81174/