Oops! 
             
Not really the statement you want to hear when dealing with the topic of the Apocalypse. However, this time it’s just a matter of being a week late with
the next question for the panel. Last week I was attending LDStorymakers 2014.  While I was there, I had the chance for some face-to-face discussion with Margot
Hovely and Angie Lofthouse. (I hope that isn’t one of the signs of the
Apocalypse.)
             
Enough of the chitty-chat, let’s get to this month’s question. 
      
Other than the stories you have written which is the best apocalypse movie or novel?


How do you define best in this category? Is it the best depiction of an apocalypse setting? Is it the most thought provoking scenario involving a great
destruction? Or is it simply a matter of what story I liked best? 
              
I guess it doesn’t matter, because I am going to look at all three. 
              
The best depiction of an apocalypse setting, in a novel, I think goes to The Postman—the novel by David Brin not the movie with Kevin Costner. It was realistic. It dealt with the challenges of rebuilding civilization after a cataclysmic event. And it was memorable. 
 

             
Honorable mentions to go: The Stand by Stephen King, The Folk of the Fringe by Orson Scott Card, and the War of the Worldradio broadcast by H. G. Wells. 

             
The best depiction of the apocalypse in a film is, in my opinion, Silent Running starring Bruce Dern as the lone attendant to all of the Earth’s eco-systems—in space. This came out during the 70s when so many of great anti-establishment films were made. 
              
Honorable mentions go to: Mad Max, Terminator, and Reign of Fire (for anyone who likes a little fantasy element thrown into their apocalypse stories).

The most thought provoking scenario involving a great destruction is I Am Legend by Richard Matheson and
involves a twist on the vampire legend. Unfortunately, this element of the story failed to be effectively covered in any of the movies. Although, Omega Man with Charleston Heston
probably covers it best. 
             
Honorable mentions go to: War Day by Whitley Strieber, Alas Babylon by Pat Frank, and World War Z by Max Brooks. 
      
In film, I think have to give this to Dr.  Strangelove: or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Yep, it’s wacky. But I think that it takes a look at a very serious subject in a way that uniquely stands out. 

            
Honorable mentions go to: The Matrix (a close second), Planet of the Apes, and Night of the Living Dead.

The final category is what apocalyptic story I liked the best. As I’ve mentioned before, Damnation Alley by Roger Zelazny is the first book of this genre that I read. It has flesh-eating cockroaches, giant mutant Gila Monsters, and ravaging biker bands. What isn’t there to love about this story. 
             
Honorable mention goes to: Hiero’s Journey by Sterling E. Lanier, Battlefield Earthby L. Ron Hubbard, and Recall Not Earthby C. C. MacApp. 
       
My favorite apocalypse movie is Escape From New York with Kurt Russell. It is dark and gritty. Carpenter was at the top of his form for this film. It
spawned a sequel that was disappointing and pretty much a rehash of the original. 

Honorable mention goes to: The Blood of Heroes(which also qualifies as a sports movie) and Planet of the Apes (again). 
            
Next week we hear from the rest of the panel about what they think are the best stories in the apocalyptic genre. I can hardly wait. See you then. 
 

            
Last week I announced a new feature – Bonus Gatherings – and today I want
to present another one: Behind The Gathering. The idea for this feature is to
share what went on behind the scenes as I wrote the story. Since a lot of this
may necessitate trips into my mind it may be a scary segment to read. 
              
The question I’m asked most often at author events is whether the characters in my stories are based on real people. That is followed by looks of disappointment when I tell them that they are not. My characters are fully figments of my imagination. 
             
I suppose it doesn’t help that I continue on and explain that my characters start off as nothing more than a plot need. If I’m writing about an LDS sponsored space program intended to kick off the last great pioneer trek then I might decide I need a character that promotes the thrill and excitement of exploration. I’d make it an energetic tween, probably a girl because both of those choices open several interesting story possibilities. 
              
Apparently, that is not what my fans want to hear. Perhaps they are hoping they can meet the real-life inspiration for the characters in my stories. And in the future I might start doing that. Maybe I should just avoid sharing my very clinical approach at character creation or at least focus on the thrill that I get as I watch how the characters develop during the writing process to become what passes for actual people. 
             
Calvin McCord is a good example of this. He started out as a need. I needed a character with a top-down look at the situation. I needed a character who would know what was going on not only in the United  States government, but the political and military institutions around the world. So I made him the Secretary of State. 
             
Once I had a character in place to observe the destruction of the Constitution and the quick unraveling of civilization I needed to mold him into a heroic figure that my readers would root for. Not only did I make him an old soldier still wanting to serve his country, but I did my best to craft him as the last honest politician. 
             
Then I gave him friends, interests, personality, and some history. Most of that flowed out of me a piece at a time as I need the information to complete a scene. In the end it all adds up to a reasonably life-like representation of a person.  
              
Of course, the follow-on question about characters is normally: If I had authorization to cast all of the characters for a movie version of The Gathering, who would I pick to play Calvin McCord?

 
The first image that came to mind was Lee Marvin. His voice and his demeanor are all I could hope to expect from my favorite character in the story.  But that was really a predictable choice. 

As I thought about it more, I liked the idea of using Brian Cox.  Especially as he appeared in The Bourne Supremacy. 
 


 

And there is this month’s behind the scenes look at The Gathering. I encourage you to leave a comment and let me know what you thought about this segment. Do you want more? Should I stop? Does this shatter your impressions of my characters? Or do you have someone specific that you would like me to discuss next time?

I have several new features I plan to introduce over the next few weeks. The one for today is Bonus Gatherings. It may sound like a contest for my readers to run about nilly-willy collecting bonuses where ever they might find such things, but in reality these will be short bits of fiction that are not found in the book. They are a bonus to my readers to help tide them over until the second book in the series is finished. 
             
As soon as I decided to do this, Calvin jumped right up and asked to be first. And so he is. This is a small slice of life that takes place during the six months between the two novels. Enjoy. 
            
Small white clouds of vapor puffed away from Calvin. They seemed out of proportion to the slow, labored steps he took. This was supposed to be jogging, but it felt more like a fast-paced walk, with all the pain of full-out sprint thrown in at no extra charge. 
             
Too many hours behind a desk had packed on pounds that he wanted to shed. His doctor kept telling him to give up the tacos and beer lunches, but Calvin rejected the advice. Some days, that was the only thing that got him through the endless hours of politics he had to wade through in his service to his country. 
              
A twinge shot up from his knee with each step he took; a souvenir from his time in Panama. He liked to tell everyone that it was an old battle-injury, but the truth of the
matter was that he had twisted his knee running out the back entrance of an off-limits cantina. Thinking about it almost brought a smile to his face. That had certainly been a better time in his life. 
             
Behind him, the twin echoes of his Secret Service escort slapped in rhythm with his own steps. They reminded him that he wasn’t alone. Where ever he went the black-suited agents followed him. As much as Boggs insisted that they were there for his protection, Calvin couldn’t shake the feeling that they were more spy than defender. In fact, the two agents, more than anything else, were responsible for the early morning jaunts. The constant surveillance of him drove Calvin to seek confirmation of his goals.
             
As if on some cosmic queue Calvin ran past the last of the buildings that blocked his view of the Washington
Monument. Another couple hundred and
he panted to a stop. Tall. Slender. Majestic. It pointed towards the heavens.
The pain in his knee and the struggle to catch his breath both dropped from his
thoughts, replaced by the sense of wonder that seeing this monument always
instilled in him.


           
The Founding Fathers had certainly gotten it right when they decided, “In
God We Trust.”

Last week I presented our second question to the panel. 
 
What draws you to write apocalyptic stories?
 
             
And here are their responses (just follow the link to their articles):
            
Daron Fraley
            
I love the picture Daron used in his post. It really helped drive home his response, which is that apocalyptic stories allow him to make effective use symbolism. And I think he is absolutely correct. Stories of our doom are like fairy-tales set in the future. 
             
Daron also mentions an element of speculation. And really, who doesn’t at some point wonder how the events that have been foretold by religious leaders and men of vision will actually transpire? 

            
Wayne Roux
           
Wayneis able to sum up his answer in a single word. Thankfully, he expounds on that word a bit so there’s a whole article to read along with it. And even though his word is not the one I used in my answer I think our two responses are closely related. 
              
My word would be – explore. I find apocalyptic tales a wonderful genre for exploring concepts about death and what is important to us as individuals and a society. Move the story beyond the point of apocalypse and you have a wonderful vehicle for exploring a new world. A world that has been significantly altered from the one we know. Just thinking about the possibilities is exciting to me. 

             
Angie Lofthouse
              
I have to admit that Angie offered a confession in her response that rattled me a bit. It’s located in the first line of her answer. For the moment, I’ll try to bury the memory of that response away from my conscious mind and emotional center and instead focus on the perfectly acceptable reason she wrote Defenders of the Covenant. 
             
In a way, Angie reverse engineered her story. I had never considered starting with the answer or situation and then deciding to put it to the ultimate stress test. But now that she has started my mind percolating I’m all tingly with the excitement of possible stories. 

           
Anthony E. Larson
             
Anthony gave a short and sweet sort of response in the comments section  of my article last week. He said:
             
“What drives me? A thirst for knowledge. Understanding the past (which is where my research is based) helps me sort out the present and know the future. Pretty simple.”
             
That certainly sounds better than when I tell everyone I write apocalyptic stories because their “cool.” Good for you, Anthony. 
 
              
Tim Malone
             
Tim also responded in the comments section of last week’s article. This is what he had to say:
             
“I am driven by a desire to share knowledge and my perceptions of human nature in desperate or catastrophic situations. It brings out the best and the worst in people. Science Fiction or more precisely, disaster fiction is based on ideas that have truth in them. From HG Wells War of the Worlds to 2012 The Movie, we are intrigued by the idea of the end of the world or at least of great destructions before the end of the
world. We put just enough science in there that readers are willing to suspend
disbelief long enough to be entertained. And while we seek to entertain, we teach. My personal desire is to share scriptural evidence of the last days, end-times or of the apocalypse (the unveiling) through entertaining stores and believable characters. I write to connect with my readers in an imaginary world that all too soon could become catastrophic reality.”
             
This is perhaps the most noble of all reasons to write any story – to teach and share knowledge and insights. And as I mentioned previously, an apocalyptic setting provides an excellent environment for that.           
           
              
As I was putting together all the response for this article, I noticed
that each answer held true for me as well. I am drawn to the symbolism in tales
of the apocalypse. I love the chance to explore the myriad of “what ifs” that
are tied to the world we live in now, making them the world we could be living
in tomorrow. I want to share my insights about the world with others and hope
that will help them with the present and the future. And I jump at the chance of
  taking a concept to an extreme and then turning that into entertainment.



           
Wow! I can hardly wait to see next month’s question and how the panel
will respond to it.



           
If you have any questions that you’d like us to explore you can post them
in the comments below or use the contact section of the webpage. We are also
open to adding a few more members to the panel. So if you are a doom-writer and
would like to participate go ahead and let me know.